Twinkling, Black Stars
by Mandydoll
Summary: "Your. Name" he said slowly.  So I did the only thing I could've done in that situation, pressed up against the wall, unable to move with a hostile, angry looking vampire right in front of me.  I spat him right in the face.
1. Before

**Before you read the story!**

**FIRST:** For those of you who haven't read _Silver in the Moonlight_, please read it first. Otherwise you won't understand a bit of the world this story takes place in. If you hated that story and gave up on it after a chapter, but for some very, _very_ odd reason want to give this one a try, then send me a PM and I'll explain the basics.

**_Now_**, back to the people who know the world of this story!

This is obviously Bea and Lian's version, and there will be no (well, pretty much no) Aurelia in it.

I've really got no idea of where this story's gonna take me and I'm still not sure of if I'll finish/continue it. It all depends on your opinions! So people, in the beginning I really, really, _really_ need those reviews. Or I won't see any point in continuing. I seriously wanna know what you think, because I'm really unsure of this one.

I won't put as much time and thought into this one as I did with_ SiM_ and it will be shorter, but I do wanna give it a try. So please people, tell me what you think about it!

**_/Thanks, Mandydoll_**


	2. Fumbling In A Dark Place

**Fumbling in a dark place**

_(The Pains of Being Pure At Heart)_

It was dark. Dark _and_ cold. I hadn't picked the best day for my mission; December nights were usually not all sunshine and pretty, little flowers. My clothing didn't exactly help my case. My 'working outfit' was covered by a long, tatty coat, filled with holes, where the ice cold wind would slip in every other second. I clamped my teeth hard together to keep them from shattering, as my body trembled from the cold. I threw my arms around my upper body, stopping for a moment to regain warmth, even though I knew I should be doing the opposite; it was always best to remain moving – in all situations. Standing by the trees, I narrowed my eyes to see if there were any guards at the giant, wooden doors. The snow swirling in the air blocked my view, so I hesitated.

And then my stomach growled loudly and I decided that I was being ridiculous. I hadn't eaten for two days and the only food I'd been able to give my mother was bread. She'd grown paler and skinnier in the last couple of months. It was harder to find customers, now that the vampires had occupied almost every single town close by. The only village that remained untouched here was Nestville, and it was a 3 hour ride from my home. I had no carriage and no car, only a lousy, old bike. And even there, people weren't very interested in my services. They put their money on other, more vital needs. I still refused to accept offers from vampires, even though there were plenty of those. It was stupid, and even egoistic to deny them, but it wasn't only because the thought sickened me – more than it usually did when I had human customers; they were dangerous. And it was better to live with less money, than to not live at all.

Determined, I removed my shoes – it would be impossible to be graceful and quiet in high stiletto heels, reaching up to my mid-thigh – and stepped into the snow, pushing myself forward. I tried not to flinch as my bare feet met the ice cold ground. I ran.

To my huge surprise, the doors were unguarded and unlocked. In my head, I briefly thanked the vampires for being so arrogant and overconfident. I knew the hard part hadn't even started yet, but finding that the Withlock's were cocky made me feel smug instead of frightened. I'd show them.

I drew in a deep breath and stepped into the mansion, finding that there was no one guarding inside either. The hall was dark, but my eyes were practiced; this was not my first time stealing, even though this particular place was new to me.

My gaze soon found a promising door to my left, and I sneaked in. And I'd guessed right. As I descended down the stairs, I found a huge, modern kitchen. Smiling, I emptied it as fast as I could, taking everything my backpack had room for.

I felt extra bold – and stupid – as I reached the hallway again, and after a brief moment of hesitation I walked over to one of the huge staircases and quietly made my up. I walked extremely slow, making sure the wood wouldn't squeak under my frozen feet. It didn't, and I held back a sigh of relief as I reached the second floor. I passed several closed doors, afraid to open them in case a vampire was waiting in there. I'd almost decided to go back downstairs and get out, when I noticed that one door was open wide. I hesitated for a second, before I slowly tip-toed over and peeked in. The room was dark, but the moon shining in from the huge windows opposite of the door, lit it up. It was clearly a bedroom, huge and painted in white. The emerald green curtains and comforter was the only colour in the room.

Except for the vampire lying _under _the comforter.

I held my breath and my eyes widened in shock as I saw him – a him, because even though he lay with his back to me, and his hair reached down to his shoulders, they were way too broad for a female. I froze. When the vampire remained still, obviously sleeping, I relaxed a bit again. I was just about to back out of the room when I caught a glimpse of something at the bedside table. It was a small box, dressed in grey satin. The lid was open, and embedded inside was the most beautiful ring I'd ever laid my eyes upon. It would be pure idiocy to take it… But I did, tip-toeing forward and carefully grabbing the tiny box. The vampire continued to sleep. I let go of the grey satin as I slipped it in to my coat pocked, and then cautiously started backing out the room. Inside I was riding a jittery high. I'd just broken into – well, walked into – the Withlock mansion and stolen a ring worth thousands of dollars. I almost felt like patting myself on the head.

"Well, hello sweetheart." I opened my mouth to scream when I felt the whisper coming from a mouth inches away from my ear, but a hand clasped over my lips before I had the chance to. My eyes widened in shock and my yelling came out muffled against his hand as he dragged me backwards. By the way he effortlessly moved me, I could tell he was an immortal. I struggled with all my might.

When he dropped me we were in a new, very dark room. As he switched the lights on, I got my sight back and swiftly took the room in. It was purely white and there was no furniture, which confused me. It took me a few seconds before I noticed the shackles dangling from the roof. I yelped and scrambled away from the vampire, who stood towering over me, smirking. I put the length of the room between us, pressing up against the wall opposite of him. My eyes flickered between the sneer looking blood sucker and the steel objects dangling above me. As he started towards me – slowly, at human pace – I screamed loudly, hoping that _some_ human with hear and come to my aid.

He was in front of me in a flash, once again covering my mouth with his pale hand. The pressure against my lips hurt, and I could almost feel them swelling up already. I tried biting his hand, but his flesh felt like stone. He grinned wider at my attempt.

"Feisty, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically.

I stared at the vampire with wide eyes. His hair was a dishevelled ray of chocolate brown and his eyes shone a bright ruby red, those were the first things I noticed. His body, pressing up against mine, was muscular and broad – not quite body builder style, but almost – but not that tall, probably around 5,9.

"What's going o-" a sleepy voice asked from the doorway, but it became silent when it's owner stopped rubbing his eyes.

Both the vampire holding me and I turned to look at him. It was the vampire from the room I'd just been in; I recognized his light brown, shoulder-length hair. His dark grey eyes looked at us in confusion, placed in a thin, but attractive face. As he stepped forward to stand next to my capturer I noticed that he was a lot leaner than him, but instead taller by a few inches. He looked younger too, probably my age or a little older.

"A thief" the leech pinning me announced. He pushed me harder against the wall and I felt the contents in the bag press into my back. It hurt. I closed my eyes and groaned against his hand, but it only came out as a mumble.

The other vampire frowned down at me.

"What did she take?" he asked.

"I haven't checked yet."

When my capturer released his grip and backed a bit to reach for my backpack, I threw myself forward, making a run for it.

The leaner one caught me around the waist a drew me back.

"Hey, now" he cautioned.

I growled angrily, trashing in his arms. The door – still open – was calling for me.

And then I froze in place.

Another, dark haired vampire entered the room. Though the other two both radiated predator, and – especially the bulkier one – were scary in their own way, this one was something else. The sharp features of his face, his smooth movements, his aura, everything about him screamed power. As he strode forward to stand a yard behind his brothers, I noticed that he was the tallest, but almost as muscular as the bulky one – something his bare chest showed.

His face was what scared me the most though. It was dead. His light grey gaze was completely cold and immortal, witnessing about how many other sets of eyes he'd probably made the life go out of.

Unconsciously I stopped struggling and cringed into the chest of the lean vampire holding me, as the dark haired one got closer.

"What is _that_?" a clear, high-pitched voice asked.

Only now did I notice that there was a brunette with a super model body clinging to him. Her bell like voice and beauty indicated that she too was a vampire.

Great, surrounded by four vampires. So much for thinking I'd be able to escape.

"A thief" the bulky one answered, still grinning.

The powerful vampire swiftly glanced at me and then looked away, zero interest on his face. The female shook her head at the bulky one, looking amused.

"You're enjoying this just a _bit_ too much, Sloan" she chuckled.

He – Sloan, obviously – only shrugged and then turned his gaze to me again.

"So, let's see what you took, little human" he said.

The vampire holding me removed my backpack, still with one steel arm wrapped around my waist. It wasn't necessary, right now I was too frightened to do anything even remotely reckless. He handed my bag over to Sloan.

"Thank you, Lian" he said, looking overly polite and happy.

The vampire holding me sighed. Lian. I snickered when I heard Sloan's words. Wasn't that a girl's name?

All the vampires turned to stare at me. Sloan was the first one to regain his previous mood.

"Feisty _and_ crazy. I'm starting to like this one" he smiled, looking appreciatively at me. A shudder went down my spine.

He zipped my bag open and looked, rummaging around for a minute or two.

"Just food" he mumbled, putting the backpack down. He gazed at me once again.

"Now, sweetie. What's your name?"

I kept my lips sealed, knowing that they could find my mother if I gave anything away.

Sloan's wicked grin widened.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" he asked once again, slower. I frowned at him; I wasn't a retard.

When I remained mute, his face turned from amused to grim. His palm met my cheek hard once; my skin burned. The impact of his slap made me stagger back a step, and I found myself pressed up against Lian behind me. To my surprise he took two steps back. At first I thought my weight had knocked him off balance, but his words made me change my mind.

"Sloan" he cautioned slowly. "Take it easy."

"She's being a bitch."

"You're being an asshole" I hissed.

Sloan looked furious and stalked forward to hit me again. But Lian backed away with me.

"Sloan" he said again, this time as a warning. The bulky vampire stopped, looking frustrated.

He turned to the dark haired vampire, who'd remained silent, only watching with an expressionless face.

"Marco" he said, exasperated.

"Calm down" he ordered. His voice was slightly huskier than the other two's.

Sloan looked pissed, but surprised me by stepping back.

"Now" he sighed, seeming bored already. "Has she taken anything else?"

I felt Lian shrug. The dark haired one sighed once again.

"Search her coat" he ordered quietly.

Before Lian pulled it off me, I stuck my hand in the pocket and closed my fingers around the little box. I saw that they all noticed it, but when the fabric was slipped off my shoulders, their eyes seemed to stare at my body instead. Or rather, at my outfit.

The brunette was the first one who showed any kind of reaction. She laughed out loud.

"A prostitute" she managed to exclaim, still laughing.

Sloan soon joined in. The other two remained silent, and so did I. But inside I was boiling with anger.

The brunette spoke again.

"She's not even…not even a…a professional thief" she managed to get out between laughs.

When she calmed down she looked up at the vampire she clung to – Marco – still amused.

"Sweetie, if a _whore_ gets into your house, you might want to get better security."

Marco remained mute, only rolling his eyes. For him, that seemed to be a strong reaction.

Suddenly Sloan was in front of me again – right in front of me. He grabbed my chin and pulled me up against his body. Lian released me. He pressed his lips against mine, hard, taking me by surprise. I opened my mouth to yelp in shock, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth. My face crumpled in disgust and I tried to push him away.

And then his mouth left mine and I could breathe again.

"Cut it _out_!"

When I opened my eyes again, Sloan was standing several yards away. Lian stood in front of me, seeming tense. I didn't dare run for the door again, so I pressed myself up against the wall, trying to not attract any notice. Marco was standing right in front of Sloan, seeming annoyed.

"What's the matter, brother?" Sloan asked. "She obviously used to it. More than used to it. It's her profession." He winked at me from behind Marco.

The brunette laughed, but stopped abruptly when the dark haired vampire turned to glare at her.

"Okay, that's it. You two: _out_!" he ordered, pointing at the door.

"But-" Sloan started, looking as exasperated as a kid being punished for something he didn't do.

"Shut it." Marco looked pissed now.

"Fine" Sloan muttered before leaving, grumbling all the way.

However, the brunette stepped forward, placing a hand on the dark haired vampires chest.

"Marco, darling" she started, trailing her fingers down his skin.

He caught her hand and turned away from her, walking over to Lian and me.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stalked out the room, calling over her shoulder as she walked.

"I think I'll be switching to Sloan's room" she said threateningly.

"Have fun." Marco only murmured, paying her no attention.

She looked humiliated and angry as she slammed the door shut audibly. The frame shook for a few seconds; we all stared at it.

Before the vampires turned back to me, I hid my hands – with the satin box – behind my back.

"So" Lian started, looking me dead in the eye. "Could you please tell us your name now, little thief?"

I pressed my lips hard together and squinted at him as he got closer with every word, standing an inch away from me at the last one. I put up a wall in my gaze, refusing to let him into my head. I knew all about their tricks.

He stared into my eyes for an impossibly long moment. I didn't waver for a second. The vampire tilted his head to the side in an animalistic way, his grey eyes narrowing.

"So stubborn" he murmured.

He picked up one of my hands – luckily not the one I was holding my stolen goods in – and grabbed my forefinger in his hand. At first I had no idea of what he was doing. He bent my finger back an inch or two. It didn't hurt at all, but neither was it comfortable. He raised his eyebrows, but I remained mute.

"We don't want that pretty, little finger to end up broke, do we?" he asked, his voice kind and gentle, even though I knew _he_ wasn't.

I only growled at him. He raised his eyebrows further, but then sighed.

"Fine, then" he mumbled.

His hold on my finger tightened again and he bent it back further, slowly. When it was starting to get pretty uncomfortable, he stopped, once again raising his eyebrows in question. I only mashed my lips together, my eyes hardening. When he continued, it actually started to hurt a bit – not any immense pain, but still, I knew it wasn't too far away from the break. A memory from when I was little and broke my leg suddenly flashed in my mind, and I flinched as I remembered the horrible pain. I didn't feel like having it again, but there wasn't much of a choice.

My flinch had caused me to drop the satin box and it fell to the floor with a thud. Lian immediately let go of my finger and reached for it. I thought about making a run for it, but Marco was watching me intensely.

When Lian straightened up again he looked shocked.

"My mother's ring" he mumbled.

Marco took a step closer and looked at the object in Lian's hand. He gazed up at me then, meeting my eyes with a piercing, yet emotionless gaze.

"You sneaky, little fox" he murmured, almost looking a bit amused.

Lian however, didn't seem as jolly. When he stared at me again, something very obvious occurred to me. The plan before had never been to hurt me, they'd only meant to intimidate. But now, _now_ the vampire actually looked as if he wanted to break my finger for _real_. And perhaps even other parts of my body.

I retreated further into the corner of the room as Lian started towards me.

"You took _my mother's ring_" he repeated, but this time in a growl.

Touchy, touchy. He obviously had mother issues.

I only stared at him in fear and swallowed loudly as he stalked closer.

"What's your name?" he asked me, his voice still a growl.

I shook my head, still refusing. He quickly closed the distance between us, pressing me up against the wall. It didn't hurt, but I was hardly comfortable with having a vampire at such close proximity.

He grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his grey gaze. It was piercing instead of soft now.

"Your. Name" he said slowly. There was no compromise in his eyes.

So I did the only thing I could've done in that situation, pressed up against the wall, unable to move with a hostile, angry looking vampire right in front of me.

I spat him right in the face.

He staggered back a step and turned his face away, wiping a hand over it. A moment passed as he stared down at the gooey stuff on his palm, before he turned back to look at me. The anger was drained from his features and instead his eyes showed something similar to wonder. It confused me.

"So, what do we do with her now?" Marco asked, crossing his arms over his chest. There was some kind of emotion on his face; a mix between confusion and curiosity, maybe even smugness. It was hard to tell with such a cold creature.

Lian tilted his head to one side again, still looking at me the same way, only now he smiled a little too. Creepy thing.

"I think I want to keep her" he murmured softly.

* * *

**PLEASE people, review! Or I won't have the guts to upload another chapter. ;)**


	3. Beg And Steal And Lie

**Beg and steal and lie**

_(Cee-Lo Green)_

"Great" Marco mumbled unenthusiastically, placing a hand on his forehead and looking tired. He yawned. With a flinch I noticed that even though there were no fangs, his teeth still looked sharp and terrifying. "You'll have to watch her."

"I know" Lian murmured, still looking at me.

My gaze shifted back and forth between the two vampires several times. I didn't understand. Keep me? _Keep me?_ Could they even _do_ that?

"Good, then" he muttered, heading for the door. "Good night."

When Marco closed the door, the room grew silent. It was comfortable after all the noise.

"So" Lian started again, turning to me. "It's just you and me."

Did he expect that to change anything?

I stubbornly kept my mouth shut. He looked down for a second. When he meet my gaze again he looked very severe.

"You know, if you just_ told_ me who you are, I might let you go. If you have family members missing you, I wouldn't hold you against your will."

I wavered for a minute, and I saw that he noticed it in my eyes. He stepped closer.

"But if you refuse to tell me, I'll just assume that the only company you keep is your costumers'. And in that case, I consider it a lot better if you stay here" he said softly. He carefully placed a hand against my cheek.

At that unwanted touch, an angry fire started in me again. I did _not_ trust this vampire.

So instead I let my knuckle meet his chin with as much power as I could conjure up. There was a loud crack.

"_OUCH!_" I cried, clutching my injured hand to my chest. And after that a few – or actually several – less appropriate words came out of my mouth.

I desperately backed away from Lian, kicking at him when he tried to step after me with his hands held out, looking exasperated – if I hadn't been in so much pain, I probably would've found his innocent facial expression rather funny. All the while I cursed loudly and tears flowed down my cheeks. Damn, it hurt.

"Jesus, girl" he muttered. "Calm down."

When I only growled in response, he stopped humouring me and was in front of me in a quick move. He grabbed my shoulders firmly and pushed me down on the floor, my back propped up against the wall. He knelt down next to me, trying to reach for my burning hand.

"Come on" he prompted calmly.

"No way!" I hissed.

"Just let me have a look."

"Fuck you!"

"You really don't seem to be in the mood" he teased. His attempt at humours was pathetic, but his gentle smile was better. I hated myself for falling for the vampire's charms, but being in pain made my mind weaker. I'd never been much of a masochist.

He tried grabbing my hand again, and this time I let him, grumbling under my breath. He couldn't exactly make it worse. He examined it with surprisingly gentle hands, even making it feel slightly better with his warm touch. As he let go, I felt disgusted with myself for not objecting.

"It might be broken" he murmured.

I ignored him, looking away instead, pressing my teeth hard together so I wouldn't humiliate myself further by whimpering in pain. It hurt like hell.

"Come on" he said, suddenly slipping his arms around me. Before I had the chance to react – or object – he was standing up with me cradled in his arms.

"Hey!" I yelled, worming in his grip. He held me firmly, refusing to let go.

When I continued trashing against his hold, he had to struggle with me for a bit.

"Calm down!" he ordered. His arms tightened around me, and soon I couldn't even squirm an inch.

"Better" he mumbled. "Now, let's go find you a room."

He moved with inhuman speed and I closed my eyelids as we flew through the corridors. It was pretty damn scary.

When he stopped again and I slowly opened my eyes, we were in a different room. It was white and pretty, but smaller and more stiffer looking than the bedroom I'd walked into before; probably a guest room. He gently set me down on the bed before turning to the door again.

"Stay here" he said strictly. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he left, shutting the door, I got up and tried the handle. Locked. At least they were starting to learn from their mistakes. I stalked over to the windows again, peering out hopefully. When my eyes adjusted to the dark out there, I soon realized that there were more than just a few yards to the ground. I was pondering over how much it would hurt me to jump from up here, when I heard the door open again.

"You really shouldn't try to get out that way. You'd end up with a broken spine, at the very least" Lian cautioned.

"Humph" was my bright answer as I spun around to look at him. I wouldn't want the enemy at my back.

He pointed at a few pairs of neatly folded clothing on the bed; a hoodie, sweatpants and socks.

"Those are for you."

I only glared, waiting for him to stop pretending. Where was the dungeon, the shackles and the whip?

He sighed, pointing at my toes.

"If you don't want those to become permanently black, you might want to consider putting on some clothes."

I looked down at my numb feet to see that they were turning slightly blue. I slowly moved forward, snatching the clothes from the bed. He looked at me with amusement in his eyes as I swiftly moved away from him again. When he kept staring at me, I raised my eyebrows in irritation.

"You sure you don't want any help?" he asked. I frowned in response. He held his hands up in defeat. "Fine, I won't watch."

He turned around, standing with his back to me. Even from here, I could sense the amused smirk on his lips.

Watching him cautiously, I started slipping out of my uncomfortable, tiny outfit. I managed to get the sweatpants on, but when I tried with the hoodie, it turned out to be impossible with just one hand. I got it over my head, but it got tangled there and I helplessly fought it, standing with my chest exposed. It was frightening, when I couldn't even see if the vampire remained with his back to me. I groaned and tears sprung to my eyes as I my injured hand managed to collide with another part of my body.

Suddenly my arms were slipped into the sleeves and the hoodie was pulled down over my head. When I got my sight back, I ended up staring right into Lian's soft eyes. I growled at him, backing away. He had no right to do that.

He reached out to me and grabbed me around the waist before I got too far away, pulling me with him towards the bed. He gently pushed me down into a sitting position on the edge. Before I could object, he'd once again grabbed my hand, carefully inspecting it. He frowned as his fingers touched my knuckles. Almost unconsciously, he pulled out a syringe from the bag next to him. But_ I_ noticed it.

I threw myself away from him, trying to haul myself off the bed. Before I even got off of the covers, he caught me and pulled me back again. I refused to give up, trying to worm out of his firm grasp. He pinned me to the comforter with his body, holding me down.

"Calm down" he tried several times, but I completely ignored his meaningless words.

Once he had me pinned I fought with all my might, kicking and punching at whatever body part I could reach. He desperately tried keeping me in place, but I kept trashing under his body.

After a few minutes of combat – and my face dripping with sweat and tears, since my hand felt even worse than before; it was on fire now.

Suddenly he growled and his fangs appeared. He swiftly bent down and put his mouth against my neck, his too long canine teeth pressing lightly against my flesh. A terrifying warning. I held perfectly still and almost didn't notice his right hand moving up to the inside of my elbow, pressing the syringe into my skin. Before I could fight him, he pushed the liquid into my veins.

I shook with rage as I realized that he'd once again tricked me; again he'd only meant to intimidate me with his creepy fangs, he'd never intended to bite. Lian calmly met my furious gaze, which turned more sleepy as the seconds ticked by.

"It'll ease your pain and it'll help you heal" he explained softly. "I'll have to set your knuckles straight before I wrap your hand up in this." He waved with a roll with something similar to bandage in his hand, only it seemed harder and stronger. "It'll be more pain than you can bare."

I tried to snort, but it only came out as a weird exhale.

As Lian sat next to me and picked up my hand again, carefully starting to straighten my fingers out, I floated into some kind of awake state coma. My body felt tired and my mind foggy; it felt like floating. My eyelids were heavy, but my gaze still remained on Lian's hands as they worked. It stung a few times and I whined quietly in a childish way. Lian looked up every time, murmuring a comforting word or two.

I didn't recognize myself in this drugged state, but wasn't quite able to remember if I was supposed to be mad about that. My mind was too cloudy.

When he was done and my hand was wrapped up nicely in the white bandage looking material, Lian pulled out the syringe again. Only now did I notice that some of its content remained. Something itched in the back of my confused brain, telling me that I was supposed to object.

"Nooo" I whined, my voice drawling and lazy, almost unrecognizable.

"You need to rest" Lian convinced me.

I didn't press it any further, only sighing when he once again pressed the needle into my vein.

"Sweet dreams, little fox" he murmured as my eyelids finally became too heavy for me to hold. They fluttered a few times before they finally closed and left me in darkness. Two seconds later that darkness enfolded me, rocking me into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

I woke up with a start, flinging myself up into a sitting position. In sleep, I'd forgotten all about where I was, but as my head swiftly whipped from side to side, taking in the room, the memories crashing back down on me.

My gaze finally landed on my left hand, lying next to me on the comforter, still wrapped up in white. I tried flexing my fingers, but found that I couldn't. I tried for another couple of minutes, and also noticed that my hand stung slightly when I did so. When I gave up, I slid off the bed, once again trying the door handle. Still locked. With a deep sigh I sank to the ground, the door supporting my back. I had no idea of how the hell I was going to get out.

As I relaxed, my nose suddenly caught a wonderful, delicious smell and I looked up to see a plate of pancakes on the nightstand, drenched in syrup. My mouth watered without my allowance and my stomach grumbled loudly and painfully.

But instead of throwing myself at the food, I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and held myself back. For all I knew, it could be poisoned.

All of a sudden, I heard the lock click behind me, and in less than a second I sprung up, throwing myself at the gap the door created as it swung open. The surprised looking, middle aged woman standing in the doorway was pushed aside as I fled. Exhilarated and with my heart pounding hard in my chest, I sprinted for the stairs and threw myself down them; how I didn't fall at that insane speed, remained a mystery. I made it to the hallway and was just about to leap for the open wooden door when I realized there was a reason it wasn't closed; someone was standing at it. Before I had the chance to react, I was caught around the waist and pulled up against something hard and solid; a vampire's torso. I squirmed in the stone grip and uselessly clawed at the hands around me.

"For Christ's sake, calm down. You know there's no way you'll be able to beat me" I heard Lian say from behind me, his voice coming out a bit uneven as I kept trashing.

"No freakin' way" I hissed.

"You were right. She seems to be a handful."

When I heard a new deep voice and a throaty chuckle, I froze for a minute. The person I'd seen at the door before was slowly coming towards us, smiling slightly. As he got closer, I noticed that it wasn't a person, it was a _vampire_. He must've been in his 50's when he was changed, but his hair was still thick and a light brown. His eyes were the same colour as Lian's; a strange grey. There was something different about this vampire, something off. He looked…kind, almost. And this frightened me even more.

Involuntarily, I pressed myself closer to Lian's chest – not struggling anymore – as the vampire came to a stop in front of us. Without warning, he offered me his right hand. I stared at with wide eyes, as if it was a poisonous snake I'd never dream of touching. The vampire chuckled slightly at my expression.

"And here I always thought you preferred the polite girls" the vampire joked, glancing at Lian behind me.

"Well-" Lian started, but I interrupted him by kicking his leg with all of my power. I didn't hurt him, but had surprise on my side. I took the opportunity to punch at his arms around me with my left fist, trying to put all of my strength in that one hand…only to be reminded of that it was broken.

"_OUCH!_" I exclaimed in a scream, for the second time in less than 24 hours.

Tears sprung out of my eyes without my permission and I cradled my injured hand to my chest, trying to make it stop burning. My body sagged, and if Lian hadn't been holding me, I would've fallen to the ground.

"Why would you do that silly, little fox?" Lian mumbled, almost too quiet for me to hear. He swiftly swooped me up in his arms and started carrying me up the stairs bridal style; for once I didn't object, I only wanted my hand to stop hurting. The other vampire joined us.

"Fox?" he asked as we climbed the stairs, surprisingly at human speed.

"She refuses to tell us her name" Lian said, shaking his head, but looking amused.

"A brave, little girl" the other vampire murmured, smiling at me in a friendly way. I wondered what his problem was.

I felt like sighing when Lian returned to the room I'd just ran from, gently placing me on the bed and sitting down next to me – probably to make sure I couldn't escape. The other vampire stole the chair from a white desk in the corner of the room, placing it beside Lian and me.

"So" he started, sitting down. Only now did I notice that he was carrying a big, roomy leather bag; it looked like something an old fashioned doctor would own. The vampire put it down on the foot of the bed and then turned his attention to me, trying to meet my eyes – but of course I avoided his grey gaze.

"I'm Gregory Fairclough, a friend of the Withlocks' and also the best doctor in the neighbourhood" he smiled, trying to make a joke of it and stretched his right hand out to me. "And you are?"

I just looked at the hand with my eyebrows raised. If he expected me to just give him my name after refusing when a vampire was pressing me up against a wall, threatening to break my hand, he was beyond stupid.

Lian sighed next to me.

"Could you at least_ try_ to be polite?" he said, looking at me.

I glared at his beautiful face and opened my mouth to hiss at him, but the doctor spoke before I had the chance to.

"No, it is fine, dear Lian. I understand. This is extremely new to her and must be very overwhelming." The vampire doc smiled a friendly smile at me. I frowned at him, not sure where he was getting with his fake-kindness.

"I understand your past life was very different from this" he started, still looking me straight in the eye. But then he sighed and reached for his bag, clicking it open. "Which is why I am here. After your earlier life conditions, your health is hardly what it should be."

I snorted at that. The doctor looked up at me again, his eyes till calm and kind.

"Is there something you're willing to tell me before I start? It can only help you" he said.

I opened my mouth to give him a snotty response, before closing it again when something very obvious occurred to me.

"I have AIDS" I blurted out. Please, please tell me vampires could get infected.

"What?" Lian gaped at me.

I just nodded looking at my hands, trying not to make it too obvious that I was avoiding his gaze. I'd never been very good at lying.

The doctor frowned at me, looking very worried.

"I heard that you..hrm, sold your services before you came here. You did this even though you knew you were sick?" he said, for the first time sounding a bit stern.

"Well" I said, looking at everything but the vampire. "We always used condoms." I shrugged, trying to seem like a stupid, egoistic teenager.

The doctor's frown deepened, but I continued to avoid staring at their faces. Suddenly Lian grabbed my right hand – the one that wasn't broken – and lifted my wrist up to his nose, taking in a deep breath.

"It _smells_ healthy enough" he muttered. "But maybe I'll have to taste to really make sure."

He flashed his fangs before pressing them to my wrist, threatening to tear the skin.

"I don't have AIDS!" I squeaked before his teeth got the chance to pierce.

In less than a second his elongated canines retracted and a smile found its way to his lips.

"That's what I thought" he said smugly, releasing my hand.

I grumbled incomprehensibly for a few seconds.

"Well" the doctor said, clapping his hands once. "Let's get started."

He motioned to a scale, standing in the corner of the room. I determinedly folded my arms over my chest, pouting. If they were expecting me to cooperate, they had another thing coming.

Without warning, Lian's arms wound around me and he easily lifted me off the bed. When he set me down, a foot from the scale, I my arms remained crossed and I did nothing but stare at it.

The doctor once again motioned his hand forward, this time a bit more urgently. I planted my feet solidly on the well polished floor.

"Aw, come on, don't be hard" Lian pleaded.

I just raised my eyebrows expectantly. The two vampire sighed simultaneously. Just as their shoulders slumped, I made a run for the door.

A second later Lian had caught me around the waist with one arm, bringing me back to the doctor like a toddler carrying a cat. I trashed in his hold, but all to no avail.

"_Why_ do you keep doing that? You know you'll never succeed" Lian sighed.

"Never say never" I hissed, as he tried to place me on the scale. I refused to lower my feet, stubbornly holding them up in the air when he tried putting me down.

"Aw, come _on_!" Lian said, exasperated. I smiled smugly in response.

That was until the doctor pulled out a syringe and pressed it into the intention of my elbow before I could react. I yelped, shocked, as he quickly injected the liquid into my veins.

"What was that?" Lian asked as my body stopped struggling against my will. My feet slowly sank to the ground, my muscles refusing to obey.

"Sedatives" the doctor mumbled.

A few seconds later I was leaning with my back against Lian's chest, his arms around my waist, holding me up. My mind was once again foggy and everything was diffuse and numb.

"You can't keep doing that" I mumbled, swatting at the vampire's face, somewhere behind my left shoulder. I missed.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Drug me" I answered lazily, forcing my eyelids open as they closed.

"It's for your own good" Lian said softly. I growled at him.

I vaguely heard the scale beep somewhere in the background.

"This is the last time" he murmured in my ear. "Promise."

I tried coming up with a snotty comment, but the doctor's voice interrupted my train of thought.

"She is underweight." He sounded worried.

He pointed at the numbers, and Lian gasped at the sight. I just snorted.

"You haven't even measured me yet" I mumbled, my words melting together. But they obviously understood anyway.

"I can measure height with my eyes, sweetheart" the doctor said kindly.

I rolled my eyes at this, unsurprised, before Lian swept his arms underneath me again, taking me back to the bed so that the doctor could continue his examination.

He took his time, blood sampling and putting my injured hand in plaster. It got boring after half an hour, and when he started rambling all the vitamins my body lacked, I zoned out.

Instead I worried about my mother. My confused, helpless, mental mother. I prayed our neighbour, Mrs Godrics, had decided to stop by for a visit. Surely, she would feed her; she might be a rambling, self-absorbed lady, but she wasn't heartless. Taking care of her for a day or two would be enough; even if I didn't manage to flee, the vampire would surely get bored or irritated with me in time.

And I'd make sure that time would come soon. _Very_ soon.

* * *

**Okay, my grammar and writing in general sucks right now, so please try to ignore my horrible English. **

**But other than that PLEASE review and tell me what you think about the story! If I'm gonna keep writing this I'll need to know if it's worth my time.**

**You're simply the best people, thanks! =)**


	4. Dirty, Little Freak

**Dirty, little freaks**

_(P!nk)_

"Ughh."

I rolled over in bed, clutching my furiously growling stomach. I groaned once again when a wave of pain passed through underneath my skin; it literally felt as if an evil, gleeful, little monster was ripping my intestines to shreds. _God_, I was hungry.

When the biting, little bugger inside of me had calmed down somewhat I slowly opened my eyes, straightening out from my fetal position. It was dark.

With a sigh I let my aching body slump back into the soft mattress. When I, for once, had a ridiculously large and comfy bed I might as well enjoy it. Besides, I had to think. There had to be some way out of this stupid mess; an option which didn't include giving my mother away. I didn't trust these vampires, not one bit. I didn't trust _any_ leeches as a matter of fact. Not after what happened to my father. I winced at the memory, averting my mind from the scene that was already starting to play in my head. I needed to stay focused and sharp; there wasn't time for trips down memory lane and pathetic, emotional breakdowns. I was stronger than that.

I rubbed my temples in a failed attempt to calm down and think. And that's when I heard their voices.

"-sorry, Marco there's nothing I can do. I have to go." Lian's soft voice was easy to recognize, even with a locked door between us.

"You realize that your leaving that human alone. With me" Marco paused. "_And_ Sloan."

"I trust you to keep her safe." Lian's voice was calmer than his brother's annoyed one.

"Give me one damn good reason why I should" Marco muttered, probably more to himself than anyone else.

"I knew I could count on you." Their voices were getting closer, and I could almost hear the grin in the leech's tone.

Neither of them said anything further. Suddenly something clicked at my door and I sprung from the bed, throwing myself at it just as it swung open. I jumped towards the freedom the narrow gap revealing the hallway presented.

A strong set of arms caught me around the waist before I even got out the room.

"You're awake!" Lian's cheerful tone indicated that he wasn't the least bit fazed by the fact that I was trying my best to escape.

I growled angrily, trashing in his arms, but making sure that my injured hand stayed far away from his body. My right fist, on the other hand, desperately threw badly aimed punches at the stone arms around me. I sighed internally as Lian carried me back into my room, not even seeming to notice my struggle. I could do _so_ much better with both of my hands. He wasn't playing far.

Lian gently placed me on the bed, still looking as optimistic and bloody happy as ever. His brother remained in the doorway, leaning against the wall and looking at us with a his lips pressed tightly together and his brow furrowed. He looked pretty pissed.

"Have you eaten yet?"

I looked down at Lian's face where he sat kneeling at the floor next to my place on the edge of the bed. His face was soft and warm, just as the hands wrapped around my wrists. I glowered at him, refusing to be fooled by his seemingly caring action. I wasn't that stupid.

My stomach answered for me though, growling loudly once. In my attempt at fleeing I'd forgotten about my hunger, but as the beast bit down on my insides again, my eyes closed on their own accord and my upper body bent forward in pain. I clenched my teeth hard together, refusing to make a weak sound. When I opened my eyelids again I noticed Lian's worried gaze on my face.

"Marco?" he asked carefully.

"Do I look like a fetching dog?" he growled.

Lian turned his face to him, most likely making puppy eyes.

"Please?" he pleaded.

Marco scowled at him for a minute.

"Fine" he grumbled, stomping away.

I watched him go, momentarily stunned. These people were playing their parts very well.

"You should lie down." Lian's gentle voice woke me up from my shock.

"You should let me go" I hissed, tugging against his firm hold on my arms.

"I might, if you tell me your name."

"No."

"Fine then." He grinned at me, tightening his hold on my wrists slightly. I rolled my eyes.

"Tell me" he urged.

"It's Lisa." I looked away from his dark gaze, trying to seem as if I was embarrassed with my weakness.

"Liar" he mumbled, still smiling softly.

"How would _you_ know?" I growled, glaring at him.

He laughed at that and I continued to scowl at him.

"You are one hell of a horrible liar" he chuckled.

"Well you are one hell of a pig headed, blood sucking asshole" I hissed, once again trying to free myself from his grasp.

"You don't really mean that."

"Oh, believe me, I do." I pretended to think for a moment. "Well, perhaps not."

Lian's face lit up at that.

"There are way uglier words that would suit you a whole lot better" I said meanly.

He surprised me with tilting his head, just looking curious.

"Really? Like what?" he taunted me.

I pretended to ponder it for a moment, when instead I tried to fill myself with at much energy as I could possibly muster up, tensing the muscles I knew I'd be using in a couple of seconds and trying to ignore the pain in my abdomen. Glancing at his face I could see that he was starting to relax, comfortable with where this teasing conversation was going, and sure of that I'd forgotten all about escaping. Boy, was he wrong.

"A disgusting, reeking, mother fucking leech" I screeched as I drew my foot up and kicked him right in that pretty, little face of his.

He was shocked by my sudden actions and fell back, his head hitting the wooden floor and his hands releasing their hold on me in the process. I sprinted towards the door, knowing that I barely had seconds. I made it out in the hallway this time, running for the stairs, when something hit me from behind with the force of a wrecking ball. I cried out before I hit floor – face first – with a loud thud. When my head banged against the hard wood, I moaned once before closing my eyes. I thought I saw dancing, little stars for a second before I returned to reality. Damn, it hurt. I barely noticed the vampire pinning me down, breathing loudly in my ear.

"You're unbelievable" he grumbled, slowly easing of off me to stand up. When I remained on the floor, eyes closed and body unmoving, I could almost feel the air tense with his worry. I felt the air swoosh as he knelt down next to me.

"Are you okay? Can you hear me, love?" he asked worriedly, almost sounding a bit panicky. It pleased me.

I soon felt his breath against my chin as he leaned down even further. And at that precise moment I tensed my right arm and threw a punch, aiming for where I believed his jaw was. Strike.

I felt the hot breath on my skin disappear as he fell back, once again unprepared for my attack. I lunged forward, sprinting for the stairs again.

I didn't even reach them before Lian caught up with me and I found myself in his stone embrace for the hundredth time during my stay.

"Unbelievable" he repeated in a grunt as he carried me back to my prison with his arms around my aching stomach.

As he dropped me back onto the bed, not quite as gently as the other times, I felt a smug smile spread across my face. I was annoying him; it wouldn't be long until he was sick and tired of me.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he asked, frustrated, towering over me. I kept peeking at the still-open door, barely visible under his raised arm. Should I try again? That would most definitely really get me under his skin.

He growled incomprehensibly and turned around to close and lock my only chance at escape. _Shoot. _

When he turned around to stand over me again, I smoothly got out off bed and moved to the furthest corner of the room, watching him cautiously. Vampires weren't known for their self control and discipline; they lost their temper as often as we humans ate, that was common knowledge. My head thumped painfully and my vision went blurry for a second. As my body tensed, so did my injured hand and white flashed before my eyes in a quick moment of intense pain. Swallowing loudly, I waited for the blood sucker's next move. I didn't like feeling this incapacitated.

Lian sighed as he regarded my defensive stance, and lowered his hands as well as his head. He massaged his forehead with a thumb and forefinger for a moment before he looked up at me once again. I waited, ready to strike.

He took two slow steps towards me, and I retreated further into the corner.

"I'm not going to hurt you" he said calmly, soothingly, holding his hands up in a sign of peace.

"You already have" I answered harshly, narrowing my eyes.

He didn't even bother making excuses.

"I'm sorry" he murmured simply.

I continued to frown at him, waiting for him to snap and turn into the blood thirsty monster I'd been waiting for during my entire stay.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my focus and I tensely looked over at the dark haired vampire, standing in the doorway with a tray in his hands, looking unmistakably pissed. He handed it over to Lian, still scowling.

"You owe me one" was all he grumbled before leaving us alone once again, though not without forgetting to look the door after him.

My stomach growled angrily once again at the sight of that tray and the contents on it and I clutched my abdomen, forcing it to shut up. My eyes, however, betrayed me as they slowly glided over the delicious looking mountain of sandwiches, just waiting to be eaten. I held back a moan when a new wave of pain appeared as I clenched my injured too hard, trying to keep the hunger back.

In a flash Lian was in front of me, scooping me up and sitting me down on the bed with my back propped up against the pillows. He placed the tray on my lap.

"Eat" was all he said.

I looked at the food, my mouth watering, but my hands refusing to touch it. Only God knew what they could've put in that.

Lian scooted closer, trying to catch my gaze.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you think. Eat now, and then I'll give you something for the pain" he told me softly, tapping my injured knuckles lightly.

I averted my eyes, frowning down at the food again. And then, with a sigh, I gave in.

Sandwiches had never tasted so good.

I sat back with a content sigh, a hand placed on my too-full stomach, when I was done. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Lian smiling. Perhaps they really did put something in that food. But at the moment I didn't care; being really full for the first time in months felt too good. I closed my eyes for a moment, experiencing the feeling fully. When someone gently nudged me, my eyes opened again.

Lian was holding out something to me, palm up. I narrowed my eyes, catching the white, little pill in his hand.

"For the pain" he explained.

I watched it for a moment before shrugging, picking it up and chugging it down with the glass of water I'd received. I'd already eaten their food, why not take their drugs too? My head was pounding and my hand was aching; I wouldn't mind feeling both full _and_ unharmed for at least an hour or two.

The silence between the two of us was comfortable as I slid down from my sitting position, snuggling into my pillow with the covers tightly wrapped around my thin frame. My eyes closed without my allowance and another content sigh slipped through my lips. I hadn't felt this good in years. For a moment I pretended that I was seven years old again, at home in my own safe bed and with my parents sitting in the living room, sipping tea and laughing quietly, trying not to wake me, but unable to keep quiet for any length of time.

Lian burst my little bubble of memories and happiness when he cleared his throat, wanting my attention. I opened one eye, squinting at him.

"I'm going away in business, but I'll be back tomorrow night" he murmured, catching an untamed strand of hair and tucking it back behind me ear. I was dozing off, and too tired to object to his touch. In fact, it even felt good, something I scarcely admitted to myself.

"I won't be here then" I mumbled, smiling a small smile and closing my eyes, ready to go to sleep.

I heard his low, throaty chuckle.

"Oh, yes you will" he murmured.

"Will not" I muttered.

He chuckled once again.

"I've asked my brother to keep an eye on you-" he started.

"I know" I interrupted him, pouting because I wanted him to shut up so I could get some shut-eye.

I felt his surprise as he paused.

"Well, just don't get on his bad side."

My eyes shot open at that, and I watched the blood sucker cautiously. What did he mean by that?

"_He_ won't do anything" he assured me. "But if you tease him the way you tease me, that will be the problem. He won't do a thing if Sloan decides to make a move. And you don't want that, do you?"

I shook my head slowly, wide-eyed, when I realized that he was waiting for an answer.

"Good girl" he murmured, leaning forward to press his lips softly to my forehead. I closed my eyes, pretending I didn't like the feeling of his warmth against my skin.

I heard him shuffle to his feet and could barely make out the sound of his footsteps as he walked away from me.

"Sleep tight" I heard him murmur before the door opened, closed and locked.

I sank down even further into the mattress and let out a relieved breath, happy to find that it didn't hurt any part of me to do so. I told myself that everything was okay – repeating it like mantra in my head – until I, for a moment, believed it.

* * *

"What am I-?"

"Hush, Emma, hush."

I groaned, slowly opening my eyes to take in the brightly lit room. The sun was shining in through the window and the snow glistened on the few treetops I could see; it seemed to be a beautiful winter day. Too bad I was stuck in here.

"Cassie, I think she's awake." I turned my head, looking over at where the high-pitched, girly voice was coming from. A young, dirty blond girl with long, skinny limbs was standing at the door, looking at me with a mix of fear and fascination.

"Hush!"

I looked over at the other voice to find at that it belonged to a blonde in her mid-teens. She was older, taller and more tuned than the little girl, but the features in both of their faces told me that they were related, most likely siblings. When the older girl stalked over to the other one, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder and standing protectively at her side, she confirmed my thoughts; a big sister, no doubt. She was staring at me cautiously, probably waiting for my reaction. I pulled myself up into a sitting position and tried to force out a polite smile.

"Hello" I said carefully, raising my eyebrows.

The older blonde stepped forward.

"I'm so sorry, miss. She's new, she doesn't know any better" she apologized, bowing slightly.

"Miss?" I asked, chuckling.

The teen girl's brow furrowed and she looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry, master Lian didn't tell me your name, Miss."

I chuckled at that.

"I'm no Miss." I shook my head in amusement.

The teen girl looked at me in confusion, and her little sister's facial expression mirrored hers.

"A Mrs?" she asked, shocked.

I shook my head once again.

"I'm a prisoner" I told her. "Not a guest. So you better stop treating me like one." I tried making it a joke, not wanting to frighten the already tense girl.

"Oh." She looked taken aback for a moment. Her sister, on the other hand, smiled a shy smile at me from behind the blonde. I winked at her.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Emma. And this is Cassandra" she tugged her older sister's sleeve.

"How old are you?" I asked kindly, and was happy to see that the she stepped out from behind her sister's back, seeming a bit more at ease when she saw that I didn't bite.

"Nine. And Cassie's 14. She'll be 15 on Friday" the little girl informed me, looking up at her sister for approval. Cassandra's eyes remained on me.

It amused me that she kept answering for her sister, as if they were one person, only she happened to be the one talking. I pursed my lips, thinking for a moment. A new, brilliant plan was forming in my head, but I had not idea of how I was going to put it into action.

"Ehm" Cassandra paused. "There's breakfast over there." She pointed at a new tray on my bedside table. "You're free to call me if you need anything."

I nodded at that, pondering over if I should make a run for the door when she tried to leave. She cleared her throat once.

"And master Lian told me to make sure that you ate all of that." Once again, she pointed at the food. "Said something about underweight" she added in a mumble.

I shook my head in disbelief, surprised to hear how well he was playing his part. He was truly a good actor, fooling his staff too. I knew he wanted something from me, I just had to figure out what, since I had absolutely _nothing_ to give him. No money, no juicy, little girls, no virginity. I had nothing. Nothing but the blood running in my veins, and I was willing to bet that there were others out there, tasting a hell of a lot sweeter than me.

My musing had made me forget about my chance at fleeing. I snapped my head up when I heard the door close and lock, cursing under my breath. Damn me and my thinking. I didn't beat myself up over it though. Instead I turned to the pile of bacon and scrambled eggs on my night stand, deciding that there was no harm in gathering up som strength for my next try.

At noon, I was starting to feel restless and anxious. There was absolutely nothing to do in here. I _should_ probably rest, considering the fact that my head kept pounding painfully with ever step I took, pacing around in the room that now felt too small. But I didn't. And I refused to touch the few books that lay scattered around the room. Instead I thought, thought hard for hours, trying to come up with a new plan, since my earlier one hadn't worked.

A high-pitched key outside of my door made me stop dead in my tracks. It was female, that much I could tell, and the singer couldn't be old. I tip-toed over to the door, pressing my air against the wood and listening. The singing was getting closer.

Just as it seemed to pass outside my door, I spoke up.

"Emma?" I asked, loud enough for her to hear.

The singing stopped.

"Emma?" I tried again. "Is that you?"

There was a pause.

"Yes."

I sighed in relief at her answer.

"Sweetie, could you please open the door? I really need to pee."

"There's a toilet in your room, Miss." Her response came swiftly.

"It's broken. My entire room smells like poop."

This time my words were followed by another pause.

"I'm not allowed to open it" she answered, but I could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"Please, Emma? I really, _really _need to pee."

Silence.

"Pretty, pretty please? I don't wanna wet my pants. That would be _sooo_ embarrassing" I added.

"Do you promise not to run?" she asked, sounding nervous.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the guilt flood through me. I seriously hoped the vampires wouldn't be too pissed at her. But I refused to give up now. When it came to choosing between the safety of my own mother and a stranger child, the choice was very obvious to me, even though a knot tightened in my gut when I thought of what I was about to do.

"Promise" I said quietly, as if the tone of my voice would change the fact that I was lying.

There was another silence, before I heard a quiet sigh.

"Okay, Miss. But don't run."

"I won't."

I heard the lock click and the door slowly opened to reveal the young girl, staring at me with a mix of fear and determination.

"Thanks" I mumbled, slowly stepping out of the room.

I whipped my head around, making sure the coast was clear. And then I turned back to the girl, who was now standing with her arms folded over her chest, frowning up at me suspiciously.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry" I told her sincerely.

And then I ran.

As I sprinted for the stairs, the girl did something I had not expected. She screamed. Really loud and really high-pitched. It hurt my head. I could hear her faint footsteps as she ran after me, but she wasn't fast enough. However, others would be. So instead of running for the obvious; down the stairs and to the front door, I took the other flight of stairs, climbing up to the third floor.

I moved my legs as fast as I possibly could – so fast it like flying. Ignoring my horrible headache, I glanced around the new corridor I'd reached. It was empty. I ran left, hoping that I would be able to hide before Emma found me. I heard her screech once again, but her voice was comfortably far away. I sprinted for the doors furthest down the hall, panting and huffing all the way.

I tried the one on my right. Locked. I hissed quietly in irritation and tried the left. It swung open and I threw myself inside, immediately spinning around in a circle to shut the door behind me. I leaned my forehead against the wood for a moment, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"What the?"

_Uh-oh._ I froze when I heard that deep voice. Slowly I turned around and took in the room. It was a study, mostly decorated with deep red cloth and furniture in dark wood. Behind the desk opposite of the door sat a very surprised looking, dark haired vampire. A phone was pressed between his right shoulder and ear – it buzzed slightly, indicating that someone was talking on the other end – and his pale hands were filled with papers.

He quickly composed himself and his facial expression changed from shocked to angry. So he _could_ show real emotions, I noted sarcastically.

"I'm going to have to call you back" he said coolly to the person at the other end, hanging up.

Not until then did I realize what deep shit I'd gotten myself into. I spun around swiftly, grabbing the door handle and forcing it down before trying to throw myself out the room again. Immediately a hard hand wrapped around my upper arm, making it impossible for me to escape. This wasn't like Lian holding me; this vampire's grasp was almost hard enough to make my skin bruise.

"Let go" I hissed, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

"Quiet" Marco ordered.

For some reason, I did as he told me, momentarily too frightened not to. Marco stepped out the room with me in tow, only to come face to face with Emma, who stood in the hallway with a frightened expression on her young face. She looked absolutely horrified as the tall vampire stalked forward with me a step behind.

"You let her out?" he asked angrily, towering over the girl.

She nodded, her eyes widening in fear.

"I'm so sorry" she whimpered.

"Why?" the vampire asked roughly.

"She told me she needed to pee." Emma's voice broke.

"There's a toilet _in her room_" Marco boomed.

"I know, but it was broken and-" Emma stopped to hiccup, her eyes suddenly filling to the brim with tears, and her lower lip trembling.

"Oh, no" I heard Marco mutter as the salt water spilled over, streaming down her cheeks.

"I-I'm s-s-so sor-r-ry" Emma sobbed.

For a moment Marco looked absolutely terrified, obviously not comfortable with a crying child. He took a step back, suddenly not as intimidating anymore. More stupid looking actually. He reminded me of a harmless lion, unaware of that its snarling was creepy and surprised to find that it scared people when it had never meant to.

"It's-" he started carefully.

"I'm s-s-so sorry, m-master Marc-co" Emma hiccupped, interrupting him. Her sobs were getting louder as her tears continued to flow.

Marco pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

"Let's just forget this ever happened. Just go back to work" he mumbled.

The girl nodded eagerly, drying her tears off with the her sleeve.

"Th-thank you, sir Withlock."

She bowed and then strutted off, eager to leave us.

"Dear God" I heard the vampire grumble under his breath, still keeping pressure on a certain point of his nose.

I took the opportunity to free myself from his grasp and make another run for it. He caught me faster than I thought would be possible. He felt a lot stronger than Lian, or perhaps he was just not as careful with me.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled.

"Let go, you digusting, perverted freak" I hissed, almost dragging my arm out of its socket as I tried freeing myself from his painful hold.

"_What _did you just say?" His voice was dangerous, dead and ice cold, but I was too far into fighting against his stone hand to notice.

"Let go, you stupid piece of shit!" I cried, trying to kick his legs to distract him.

Suddenly, his hand disappeared and I dropped to the floor, landing clumsily on my butt. I stared up at the vampire, wide-eyed and mouth gaping.

"Fine then. Go." He hovered over me, spitting the words in my face.

"What?"

He straightened up a bit, pointing at the stairs.

"Go!" He shouted this time, not able to contain his fury anymore.

I scrambled to my feet and hesitantly started walking down the hallway, waiting for him to do punish me in some way. He didn't. He just stood there, eyeing me angrily and waiting for me to get out of his eye sight.

I was eager to comply, running for the stairs for what felt like the thousand time during my stay at the Withlocks'.

I didn't even make it further than the second floor.

A hand caught my wrist and another one let its fingers twist in my hair, tugging at it until I gasped in pain. I found myself pressed up with my back against a someone's chest. It wasn't the familarity of Lian's relatively thin built, no this vampire's shoulders were a lot broader.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" I felt cold air on my neck as someone trailed their lips down my skin, sucking in deep breaths of my scent every other second.

"You smell good" he whispered in my ear. I recognized that voice from my first night, and my limbs went stiff with fear. Even before he harshly spun me around to face him, I knew who it was. Sloan.

"Missed me much?" he asked, grinning as I pushed against his chest, trying to get the hell away from him. _Anyone_ was better than him; I'd rather deal with fifty Marcos.

I worked up a decent cry, but he cut me off mid-scream, pressing his icy lips against my own and letting his tongue slide into my already opened mouth. I flinched in disgust, my shoves against his chest getting more urgent as I tried worming my way out of his arms. His hold on me only hardened as his hand slipped down to squeeze my butt while the other one gripped my hair tighter until I moaned in pain. He broke away briefly to press his lips against where I believed my jugular was, nibbling my flesh at the same time as he backed me, forcing me up against a wall. I screamed again, more in panic this time than in an attempt to find help, and frantically tried to rid myself of his arms. He covered my mouth with his once again, this time with more force; I could feel my lips swelling already. I forced my knee up in a powerful motion, aiming for his groin and scoring. His lips momentarily disappeared as he gasped, stumbling half a step back.

"HELP!" I cried hoarsely while trying to sneak under his right arm. He caught me, slamming me back up against the wall; the sound my head made when it collided with it was alarming. The world spun for a moment and I sagged in his arms, unable to struggle any more. I felt his mouth press against my neck again; this time I felt all of his teeth. I knew he wasn't far away from piercing the skin, but I was too dizzy. I closed my eyes, finally admitting that I'd failed.

And then all the pressure was lifted off of me and I sank to the floor in a heap, still with my eyes shut. I opened them slowly to find Marco and Sloan facing each other a yard away.

"What the hell was that for?" Sloan wondered, annoyed.

"She's _Lian's_."

"He's not even here."

"She's _Lian's_. Back off." Marco's tone was deadly.

Sloan snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He turned his head to me for a moment, locking his gaze with mine. "But he might want to keep a better eye on her. I'm not so sure I'll be able to stop myself next time."

And with that he smiled a wicked, crooked smile before turning on his heal and leaving. I watched him go, stunned and with a throbbing head.

Marco turned then, looking sternly at me. Without a word he grabbed my hand and pulled me up onto my feet. I didn't object as he started dragging me back to my room, only stumbled after him as I winced when my headache got even worse. Suddenly he turned his head slightly in my direction, glancing swiftly at me over his shoulder.

"You owe me one too" he stated unemotionally.

I shook my head at that, give him a short, grumpy reply.

"Freak."

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**Thanks everyone for the awesome reviews! :D**

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	5. Stuck Inside These Walls

**So, I really didn't get a lot of reviews last time. Is it because the story sucks?**

**Please people, just leave a quick comment and tell me what you think about the thing. **

**It would _reeeaaally_ help.**

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**Stuck inside these walls**

_(Sia)_

_BAM!_

The china collided loudly with the wall when Lian ducked his head out of the way. He raised and eyebrow at me, looking very surprised. He was used to my verbal aggression, not my physical one.

A week had passed since my horrific encounter with Sloan and I was still stuck in the mansion, on the same damn floor and in the same bloody room. Lian still hadn't shown any sign of letting me go, or even seeming the least annoyed or sick of me. He treated me with the same patience and kindness you'd show a mistreated dog; his petrifying calm only flared my anger.

"_Let me out!_" I yelled.

"If you'll behave, we could always go for a stroll" he said, stepping closer.

I backed away.

"I'm not some damn pit-bull you can walk around with in a leash" I screeched.

He smiled calmly, tilting his head slightly to one side.

"I don't need a leash" he murmured.

I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes sparkling with sheer fury. I couldn't believe he'd just said that.

He tried to close the distance between us once more, but I spat at him, backing. Gracefully, he moved out of the way, still heading towards me. I fumbled behind myself, trying to find another object to throw in his direction.

Suddenly, he appeared in front of me – right in front of me. He grabbed my wrists before I had the chance to find something that could stop his advance, pulling me to him. I prepared to spit again, but he quickly put a hand over my mouth, already guessing my plan.

"Listen" he started.

I shook my head, trying to get his hand off my face and when that didn't work, I licked his palm, trying to repulse him. That didn't work either. Instead he shocked me by pulling my uninjured wrist up to his face, trailing his tongue along my vein.

"Ew, you're disgusting" I growled behind his muffling hand.

He pulled his mouth away from my wrist and turned to look me in the eye.

"I won't tolerate any more of you impoliteness. What you do to me, I'll do to you. It's only fair" he said evenly.

I narrowed my eyes, giving him my most poisonous glare.

"So, I'll get to lock you up inside a room against your will, just because I'm a perverted, disgusting leech?" I hissed.

I always flinched away from him after saying not so nice things, afraid that he would strike. He never did.

He sighed.

"It's for your own good. You'll understand that some day" he murmured, looking me intently in the eye. I had a hard time glancing away.

"What do you know about what's good for me? You know _nothing_ about me and my life" I growled.

"That's right. And I would love to change that, if you gave me the chance to" he answered calmly.

I just glared at him, my lips pressing firmly together. He removed his gaze first; another tiny victory for me. With a sigh, he released me and took a step back to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Can't you just see this as a vacation? You get free food, free clothes, free room service. And if you promise to stay, I'll gladly let you wander around the mansion and the gardens" he said, peeking up at me from under his long lashes.

I smiled sweetly.

"I promise to stay."

He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"You don't understand-" he started.

"Oh, I understand perfectly well" I hissed. "You're so mean, so stupid, so perverted that even your own kind repels you. Therefore, you're sick mind forces you to kidnap little, innocent girls like myself."

Lian rolled his eyes at me.

"You are hardly innocent, little fox. You came here first, remember? Trying to steal. And my kind doesn't repel me. I even have a fiancée."

Did I just imagine the childish defensiveness I heard in his voice?

"Oh." His words brought me up short. I hadn't definitely not expected that.

A minute later, I returned to my earlier sarcastic, evil mood.

"And does she know that you've kidnapped a prostitute?" I asked, determinedly folding my arms over my chest.

"No." I got no other reply.

I smiled smugly, happy that I'd finally found his sensitive spot.

"Does she even know she's your fiancée?" I asked sarcastically.

To my huge surprise, he looked as if I'd just caught him lying. His lips remained sealed.

"Did you kidnap her _too_?" I asked, shocked know.

Lian rolled his eyes at me.

"_Nooo._ I just haven't proposed yet." The defensive glimpse in his eyes got more defined.

I laughed out loud, unable not to. Lian glared at me, showing anger for the first time in days.

"She will say yes. There just hasn't been that perfect moment" he grumbled.

"Right." I rolled my eyes, trying to look emotionless, but deep down I was rejoicing. He had a soon-to-be wife, someone who surely wouldn't approve of me. He couldn't keep me here forever. I smiled at that thought.

"Why the smug smile?"

I stalked away from him, annoyed that he'd noticed. I randomly started rambling through the drawers in a dresser, wanting to distract my hands. There were clothes upon clothes in there.

"Are these hers?" I asked, holding up an expensive looking bra.

Lian sighed.

"Yes."

I raised my eyebrows incredulously.

"Do you seriously think she likes having me in her room?"

"She doesn't know."

"Well, she'll find out, won't she? And I'm sure she's gonna give you hell when she does."

Lian remained silent. I decided to use logic instead. I slowly trailed over to him, smiling dangerously.

"When she finds out, she's gonna be more than furious. She's gonna be sad. Hurt. You'll break her little, dead vampire heart. You wouldn't want to do that, would you?" I folded my arms over my chest, glaring strictly at him where he sat on the bed, looking utterly defenseless.

"I haven't done anything inappropriate with you" Lian growled quietly.

"How would she know? It's your word against mine." My smug grin widened when I knew I'd caught him in a deadlock.

"You wouldn't" he hissed.

"I'm a desperate woman." I shrugged.

We both remained silent, glowering at each other, before Lian composed himself.

"Well, that won't be a problem. Because she will never meet you."

I frowned at him first, before understanding the meaning of his words. I froze.

"You're _selling_ me?"

"I-"

"You will get nothing for me! _Nothing!_ I'm not worth a penny. You won't even find someone who'd let me inside their house. I'm ugly, old, disobedient and you can't find anything further from a virgin than me" I spat. "So if that's your plan, you might as well kill me now or let me go. You're just wasting both your time and money."

Lian locked his gaze with mine until my breathing calmed down again.

"I'm not selling you. I'd never do that" he said evenly.

I just shook my head, giving him a sarcastic smile.

"Right."

He suddenly stood and I quickly tried to retreat. He grabbed my hands before I got anywhere, holding them firmly in his own. Despite my fury, I couldn't look away from his black eyes.

"I wouldn't. Ever. That is not the way I treat people" he said fiercely.

I only stared at him with my mouth clamped shut. He smiled gently at my stunned expression.

"You're wrong about other things too. You, my dear, are worth a whole lot more than money."

I snorted at that.

"You're beautiful, and nothing else. You're not disobedient, you have spunk and personality."

I desperately tried to look away from his intense gaze.

"And as far as I'm concerned, you are nothing but a virgin if you have yet to make love to someone you actually have feelings for."

Without my allowance, a shudder went down my spine. It seemed impossible to break way from his beautiful, coal black eyes; it felt as if I was drowning in them.

And then I put all my mental strength in breaking eye contact, taking a step back. He released my hands, but remained in front of me, still looking at my face. I caught the slightly smug, yet genuine smile on his lips, before he spoke again.

"And old? How could you be _old_?"

"I'm 20" I hissed. "Those pedophiles prefer-" I shut my mouth immediately and widened my eyes when I realized my slip.

Lian's smiled happily.

"_Finally_, a breakthrough. So, you're 20?" he asked, grinning like a child on Christmas day.

I scowled at his gorgeous face.

"That means nothing. There are plenty of 20 years olds in this country" I hissed.

"Yes, but only a few live within this area. And even fewer went missing during last week."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"No one will have reported me missing, so don't expect this to be any kind of progress."

His face softened dramatically at my words.

"Then that must mean you've got no one waiting for you at home. And in that case, it's definitely better if you stay. It's a dangerous world out there."

"The only reason it's dangerous, is because you animals decided to poison it with your presence."

He didn't even bother denying that; a shrug was the only response I got.

Lian turned to the drawer I'd been massacring and neatly folded the few items of clothing I'd strewn around the room in my rage, returning them to their places.

I sighed, letting my legs give out and falling back against the bed, stretching and spreading my arms and legs out until I heard my joints pop. I decided to play Mr Nice Guy.

"So, dear Mr Withlock, what is it you want from me?"

"I want you to stay here, give your body a break and let someone else take care of you." His voice was calm and peaceful.

I snorted at that, deciding to continue as if he hadn't uttered a word.

"I have absolutely _nothing_ to give you. I'm dead broke. I'm very rude and not especially pleasant to converse with; I would make an awful lady's companion for your fiancée. And since you've already got her and you gave me this pretty, little room all to myself, I'm betting your not looking for someone to share your bed with."

"I-"

I cut him off immediately.

"_Unless_, you're interested in a threesome. Which is completely fine by me, but nowadays – I don't know how you did it back when you were living your golden, human years – you don't have to kidnap and force the prostitute, you just give them a call. Though I should add, a threesome is 50 dollars more than a regular hour. Letting me stay in your house for a week doesn't really count as payment."

I kept blabbering, feeling his eyes on me.

"I don't-"

I interrupted him again.

"Oh, that's right. Your fiancée doesn't know about me, and by the sound of your tone, I'm guessing she wouldn't approve of me if she did. _So_, that means my stay here has got nothing to do with sex either" I concluded. "Which brings us to the fourth alternative; blood."

I sat up this time, looking him square in the eye. He gazed back, completely stunned.

"I'm pretty sure I've got every single disease you could possibly have and the shit running through my veins could probably not even be called blood. I probably taste _awful_. I know this whole rejecting thing makes it all more fun, but in the end, it's _so_ not worth it."

I paused, staring exasperatedly at him. He still looked taken aback, standing at the other side of the room with a pink shirt in his hands.

"Lian, _please_ let me go home. Please. I've got people needing me. Hell, I need them too. I need my life. I_ need_ to get it back" I could feel my eyes wanting to tear up, but I held back. I wasn't going as far as crying in front of this leech.

The vampire slowly stepped closer, dropping the shirt, but still staying mute.

"_Please_, let me go. I'm a person. You can't just lock me up and except me to be fine with it."

I was pondering over if it was best to retreat or stay seated where I was as he came closer, while I kept pleading.

"Please, Lian. Let me go home. Someone will die if I don't. Please." I whispered the last word, staring into the impossible depth of his dark eyes. He stood towering over me now. I felt so helpless right there, begging for the first time in years.

And my weakness got the best of me.

I drowned in those beautiful orbs of his, forgetting the world for a short moment. When his arms encircled me, I didn't object, I only kept gazing into those twinkling, black eyes, not wanting to resurface. A feeling of calm embraced me as he hugged me close. I sighed, a sound coming from deep within me and closed my eyes for a second, leaning my head against his strong, cool chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head and I relaxed even further. In that second, I felt safe.

And then reality came crashing back down on me.

I tore myself away from his cold stone arms, pushing against his chest and stumbling back as fast as I possibly could. I pointed a finger in his direction while backing away to the furthest corner of the room.

"What the fuck did you just do?" I spat loudly. I hadn't felt this mad in forever; throwing the china before had only been a brief warm-up.

Now, _now_ I was furious beyond the boundaries of sane.

Lian looked apologetic, slowly trying to come closer with his hands held up in a sign of peace. I didn't let him though, I started retreating quicker than before.

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to make you feel better. You looked so sad" he said, looking exasperated.

I knew better than to trust the fake emotions on his face. He was a liar, and nothing else.

"You hypnotized me!" I cried, venom sipping through my voice. I was ready to claw his eyes out. I grabbed a lamp on the stand behind me, throwing it at him with better aim than before. It would've hit him right in the face if his reflexes hadn't been fast enough for him to catch it.

"I was trying to calm you, love. You were on the verge of tears."

"I don't cry" I hissed back. "And I am not your love."

"I'm sorry" he said honestly. "I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry you're hurting. I'm sorry I'm keeping you here. I'm sorry I can't let you go. I'm sorry for it all, you have to understand that."

"I don't have to understand _anything_" I growled back. "You're keeping me hostage and people are dying because of it. And it's all _your fault_."

"_Who_?" he boomed back, his voice gaining volume, but still not becoming hostile. "_Who _is dying? Please, do tell me."

"I'm not telling a leech! How stupid do you think I am? You'd just take advantage of the situation if I gave you anything you could use as a weapon against me."

Lian surprised me by laughing.

"Use you? _Use_ you? You just spent quite some time explaining to me that you had absolutely nothing that I would want. How could I use you then?"

I settled with scowling at him, not even bothering to give him a reply. He was being ridiculous.

"I only want to help" his voice had grown quiet and calm again.

"Please believe me" he continued when I looked away. "You were on the verge of starvation when you first came here."

I snorted at that.

"I've never seen someone look so tired, cold or worn out" he continued.

"I had a bad night" I grumbled.

"I'm sure you had. But while you're here, I can make sure you won't have another one of those."

I shook my head, baffled. I was used to being able to read people, to understand their motivations and actions somewhat. But this vampire, I did not get. He couldn't care, that was not even an alternative. And why _me_, in that case? If he really did give a shit, he would've donated his mountains of money to the elderly, or something silly like that. He wouldn't bother with taking care of me, an insignificant, ugly whore – it didn't make sense.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, exasperated.

Lian opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly shut it. He tilted his head slightly to the side, as if listening. He smiled a small smile then, looking sneaky. I narrowed my eyes.

"Right now, I want you to come with me without objecting."

"You've got another thing coming, buddy" I muttered menacingly.

And he had.

As soon as he grabbed a firm hold of my wrists and pulled me off the bed, I started struggling against his hands. When he unlocked the door – still with me in a strong grip – I got ten times worse. I trashed and I pulled, furiously without pause. Lian remained cool as a cucumber.

But that was until I opened my mouth to yell. In less than a second he had me pinned against the wall, hand clasped over my parted lips.

"Quiet" he ordered, a trace of panic in his voice.

I tried screaming anyway, but his hand muffled the sound; I barely got a squeak out. The panic in his eyes got more evident, when I showed no sign of obeying.

"Please" he pleaded.

I pretended to think for a moment, and then nodded. He sighed in relief.

He removed his hand slowly, testing me. When my lips remained sealed, he pulled me forward.

"Come on" he murmured.

I took two steps before I tried shouting again. He cut me off swiftly, looking more pissed than panicky now.

"For Christ's sake" he hissed quietly. "Could you just_ please _do as I say, just for a minute?"

When I shook my head under his restraining hand, my eyes filled with mischief, he sighed.

"Fine then" he mumbled.

He pulled me up with my back against his chest, still blocking my mouth. He used the other arm to wrap tightly around me – uncomfortably tight, I did not like having the vampire so close to me. I muttered unintelligible protests under his hand as he slowly started moving us forward.

He managed to get me up to the third floor, still with me protesting angrily. But even though I struggled against his firm hold, it wasn't me who suddenly made him stop dead in his tracks, completely frozen.

No, it was the bell-like, confused voice of a female.

"Lian?"

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	6. Let's Play Pretend

**First, thank you so much for the reviews I got! You're the best.**

**I'm really sorry for the long wait, but I reached another writer's block and it was pretty much impossible to write. I really don't like this chapter and it's shorter than the others. But I promise that the next one will be better and uploaded _a lot_ sooner!**

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**Let's play pretend**

_(Pink)_

"What's going on?"

Slowly, Lian turned us around. The most beautiful woman I'd ever seen was standing at the top of the stairs: her shiny, wavy red hair hung to her waist and her big, steel grey eyes gazed at us in confusion. She was probably around 5,9 – just an inch taller than me – but had curves that I could only dream of; she looked nothing like Marco's skinny super model.

"Fiona." Lian's voice sounded extremely guilty. "Dearest, I didn't know you had arrived."

The woman folded her arms over her chest and frowned at my captor.

"Lian, who is this?" She waved a slender hand in my direction.

There was a very short, but noticeable silence before Lian recovered.

"This." He paused to remove his hand from my mouth and shift his arm around my waist to my shoulders. "This, darling, is Marco's new pet."

I was about to object when Lian pinched my back, something that went unnoticed by the pretty redhead. His fingers didn't cause me any great deal of pain, but I decided to play along, just to see where he was going with it.

At Lian's words, the woman's facial expression immediately changed; her whole face lit up with a huge grin and her eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Really?" she cried happily. Even now, her voice remained bell-like and I suspected she was a vampire.

Suddenly she moved and in a flash she was right in front of me, still grinning.

Yup, definitely a bloodsucker.

She offered me her right hand and when I only stared at it, she took my limp one and shook it enthusiastically.

"I'm so pleased to meet you. I'm Fiona" she told me, still overly excited.

When I didn't reply, she continued.

"What's your name?"

"Lisa" I told her stiffly. I hoped she couldn't hear the false note in my voice.

She didn't. But she noticed my strained tone and let go off my hand.

"I'm so excited. And surprised." She giggled. "I can't _believe_ Marco finally decided to get a human. How wonderful! I think you're just what he needs."

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief, but decided not to say anything. I didn't think she needed to know exactly how much Marco of all people did _not_ need me.

"Well, let's go downstairs, shall we?" Lian said, offering Fiona his free arm.

Again, I decided to play along, just for the fun of it. I was going to find the perfect moment for revealing Lian and boy was I going to enjoy it.

We descended down the stairs, but only got to the second floor before Fiona pulled us to a stop.

"Oh, but you're not properly dressed!" she exclaimed. "How come?"

She didn't wait for someone to answer; instead she grabbed my arm and pulled me with her to the room I'd stayed in for more than a week. I gave Lian a shocked glance, but decided to go with her.

As she rummaged around her wardrobe, trying to find something that would fit me, I couldn't help, but feel a bit sorry for her. She obviously wasn't the brightest person on the planet, or perhaps she was just so excited she couldn't think properly. In any case, it shocked me that she hadn't even question what Lian had been doing with me upstairs, hand over my mouth and another one pressing me up against him. Did she trust him so completely?

To be perfectly honest, I didn't really mind vampires in general. I stayed away from them because they posed a threat to me, because they could kill me within the blink of an eye, not because I considered them worth less than anyone else. There were probably good ones out there; I just didn't try to find them. I had better things to do.

But here Fiona was, all bubbly and joyful and not very vampire like at all. I pitied her. Even though she was a natural enemy of mine, I felt sorry for her. All in all, she seemed good, that much I could tell. And she seemed happy and in love, two things I would never be. So who was I to rip all of that away from her?

I wasn't that selfish.

So I decided not to say anything about her fiancé-to-be – who I suspected Lian was – right now. Instead I smiled at her and held my arms up as she pulled a black cocktail dress over my head and fastened it with needles in the places where I could not fill it out; which was pretty much everywhere.

"You're awfully skinny" she mumbled, needles pressed between her lips as she worked.

I let the comment pass, not knowing what kind of answer she was expecting.

She moved on to my face later, applying making up and pulling my hair up in an advanced, beautiful knot; she was better at it than I'd ever be. When she was pleased with her work, she dragged me to a full-length mirror. I had to struggle to keep my mouth from gaping in surprise as I gazed at my reflection. I looked like a normal person – elegant even – nothing like the prostitute I was.

For a very, very brief moment, I wished that the woman in the mirror was the real me. That I belonged in that dress, with that hair, looking almost-healthy and fancy. For a very brief moment, I wanted it so bad I felt as if I was about to burst.

A knock on the door made me forget about my yearning and I spun around in my new black stiletto heels, watching as Fiona dashed to the door and tore it open, squealing in excitement as Lian stepped into the room.

"Isn't she pretty?" she asked, clapping her hands.

I tilted my head to the side, curious to see the vampire's reaction.

He looked at me with an unfathomable expression on his face. He stared for a second too long, but Fiona didn't seem to notice. Instead she kissed his cheek and grabbed a hold of his hand.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"She looks lovely" he murmured, still gazing at me.

Again, he looked for a moment too long, and this time Fiona _did_ seem to notice. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lian cut her off, turning to face her and smile.

"Let's go downstairs."

I walked slowly behind Lian and Fiona as we entered a beautiful dining room, decorated in dark wood and gold. The ceiling was high, paintings of cherubs and angels in various colors covering the surface. It was beautiful and distracted me for a moment.

"Fiona, darling."

I quickly averted my eyes from the gorgeous art and returned to the present situation. Marco's super model was leaving Sloan's side, striding confidentially towards the redhead in front of me with a big smile plastered on her perfect face.

"Vanessa!" Fiona exclaimed happily.

They hugged and I noticed that Lian used the opportunity to free himself from his fiancée-to-be, stalking over to Marco instead, to whisper something in his ear. I watched them cautiously, trying to read the dark haired vampires expression as Lian's lips moved impossibly fast. To my huge disappointment, his face remained as emotionless as always.

After I'd given up on getting a clue from Lian's hopeless brother, the females' conversation caught my attention again.

"If you don't mind me asking, Vanessa, then what are you doing her now when, well…" Fiona waved a hand in my direction.

"When what?" Vanessa's brow furrowed as she stared at the redhead in confusion.

"When Marco got himself a human."

Everything in the room seemed to freeze for a moment and it suddenly felt a few degrees colder.

Vanessa looked taken aback at first, but then quickly recovered, smiling sweetly.

"As a matter of fact, dear Fiona, I'm staying with Sloan at the moment."

"Oh." She threw Sloan – standing by the fire place – a surprised look. "So you're still here?"

"Obviously" he smirked.

"Well, isn't that nice" Fiona murmured to herself. I held back a chuckle; I obviously wasn't the only one on earth who didn't like that pervert.

An awkward moment of silence followed before Lian clapped his hands once, putting on a happy face.

"Well, let's get seated, shall we?"

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Dinner was…awkward, to say the least.

I was forced to sit next to Marco during the entire time, pretending to be a well brought-up, polite blood whore – well, at least the whore part wasn't unfamiliar.

My problems started when the first course had been brought in. There were too many sets of knives and forks – _way_ too many sets. I stared at them in horror as a servant placed a delicious looking salad in front of me. I didn't even think vampires ate; damn myths.

"Start from the outside and work your way in."

I looked up in shock at Sloan, who leaned away from me again, winking swiftly before returning to his food. What was _that_?

When he didn't acknowledge me in any other way I returned to my food, deciding to follow his instructions. I really didn't have anything to loose.

The dinner continued and instead of focusing on the conversations around me, I kept my eyes on my fork, trying so seem as if I wasn't a very confused, recently kidnapped prostitute.

Time passed quickly and sooner than I'd anticipated Lian stood, bidding everyone goodnight before leaving with Fiona following right behind him. I felt like patting myself on the head, proud over surviving my first formal dinner. However, my smugness was soon replaced by fear as Sloan and Vanessa left, leaving only me and Marco at the table. I was now officially his "pet"; I had no idea of what he was expecting from me.

Without any premonition he suddenly got up, stalking out of the dining room as he called over his shoulder without a backward glance.

"Follow me."

Hesitantly I stood, slowly trailing after him. When we reached the grand hallway, I glanced in the direction of the wooden doors leading outside; my only chance of escape. And once again, I decided to take it.

I sprinted towards freedom, wobbling slightly in my dangerous stiletto heels. And I was close, so close. I stretched a hand out, trying to reach the handle in front of me. I was inches away from my goal, closer than I'd ever been before, and my mouth formed a small smile of pure triumph.

A stone hand grabbed a hold of my bandaged wrist just as my hand touched the cold metal of the door handle. The restraining hand jerked me back, dragging me away from the doors that looked more than inviting. I fought against Marco's firm hold, but he did nothing to acknowledge my struggle. He sighed once, but that was about it.

"Let me go" I growled, trying to dig my feet into the thick carpet.

He spun around swiftly, his terrifying face only inches away from my shocked one. In my peripheral vision I could see his bared fangs and gulped in fear.

"Cut. It. Out" he hissed, making each word a sentence. His coal eyes bore into mine for another second or two, before he turned and started walking again, still with me in tow. I was too shocked to do anything else than obediently follow him.

He dragged me all the way to the third floor and didn't stop until we reached a bedroom I'd never seen before. It was bigger than the one I'd been staying in, almost twice its size. Huge windows covered the wall opposite of me, partially concealed by thick, deep red curtains. Just like everything else in the mansion, it was beautiful.

Marco closed and locked the door behind me and I sighed, once again reminded of that I was a prisoner. I opened my mouth, wanting to try to persuade him into letting me go – Lian was the reason I was held captive, not Marco – but before I got a word out he'd crossed the room, disappearing through another door, closing and locking it behind him.

When he didn't return, I sighed, sitting down on the edge of the king-sized bed. I removed the stiletto heels, gently massaging my sore feet. Running full tint in those shoes had not been a very good idea.

I felt worried. More than worried actually; terrified was probably a more suitable word. I had absolutely no idea of what Marco was expecting from me. Was I his for real now, or was it just an act? Was I now a blood donor, the whore and slave of a vampire?

If I'd been given to any other vampire, I would've been sure of that the answer to my questions would've been yes. But at the moment, I really doubted it. Marco didn't like me, he _really_ didn't like me and he'd seemed more than unhappy when Lian forced him to babysit me. The thought of him wanting to drink my blood, touch me or even be near me seemed ludicrous.

After almost fifteen minutes, the door Marco had disappeared through made a clicking sound and opened. The dark haired vampire walked out, now dress in a T-shirt and sweats, drying his wet hair with a towel. I stared at him, waiting for him to at least throw a glance in my direction. He didn't. Instead he just pointed to the room he'd just walked out of.

"All yours" he muttered.

It turned out to be a bathroom, and after showering and dressing in the PJ's that had magically appeared while I was washing myself, I reluctantly returned to the bedroom and the intimidating bloodsucker I know seemed to belong to.

The room was pitch black. I blinked furiously, trying to see something else than the compact darkness. Finding that I couldn't, I stumbled around blindly, desperately trying to find a bed, or a chair, or even Marco. I heard a deep sigh from my left, and following the sound my knees soon knocked into the soft mattress of a bed. I hesitantly climbed in fumbling around for a while before I found a pillow and the headboard of the bed. Judging from the steady breaths next to me, Marco had already gone to bed.

But I didn't. I sat stiffly, my back resting against the hard wood of the headboard. I didn't know exactly what I was waiting for, I'd just simply decided that the night wasn't over. I was going to get something, no matter if it was an explanation or a punishment. I refused to go to sleep this confused; I'd always hated it when people didn't make sense and Lian's brother was currently driving me mad.

The silence stretched on, and for a moment I even thought the vampire next to me had gone to sleep. It wasn't until I heard his deep sigh and the rustle of someone moving in the sheets, that I knew he was awake. But he never spoke.

After another few minutes, I decided that I'd head enough of the non-talking.

"What does this mean?" I asked quietly.

When he remained silent, I thought he wasn't going to answer me. But he did, after a while.

"I don't know" he mumbled.

"That's not much of an answer" I snorted.

"Then what do you want me to say, human?"

I drew in a deep breath.

"Why am I still here? Lian's engaged, he wants none of the very few things I can offer him. And you, well you obviously don't like me at all."

I paused, giving him a chance to object, but the impolite bastard didn't, only confirming my earlier theory.

"And he doesn't seem too interested in letting Sloan have me. So why am I still here?"

He didn't respond. I turned my head in his direction, deciding to try another approach.

"Please, just let me go" I pleaded. "No one wants me here anyway. It would be better for everyone here if I just left."

He was still quiet.

"Please" I tried again, my voice weaker than I'd intended it to be.

He sighed deeply again.

"Believe me, if it was up to me, you wouldn't be staying here. You cause far more trouble than your worth." I knew the words were supposed to be insulting, but I couldn't bring myself to care, waiting breathlessly for his next words.

"However, for some odd reason, my brother is very fond of you. So until he gets bored of you, you're staying. Now, sleep."

I gaped at the finality of his words.

"You're being unfair" I hissed.

Once again, all I got was silence.

With a frustrated, unintelligible grumble I lay down, pulling the cover up to my chin and forcing my body to go to sleep. If I didn't get an answer from Marco the next day, then Lian was in trouble. Major trouble.

* * *

"Come on, wake up."

I frowned at the familiar voice, trying to roll away from the hand shaking me.

"For Christ's sake, get up!"

My eyelids fluttered at the slightly frantic tone, only to find my face inches away from Lian's. I yelped in shock, but a hand was immediately placed over my mouth.

"Hush" he warned.

I glanced around the room swiftly, only to find it just as dark as it'd been when I fell asleep. When my eyes returned to Lian's face, I noticed the big grin his lips formed. I scowled at his joyful facial expression, not understanding it. He misinterpreted my angry glare, removing his hand from my mouth. After just staring at each other for almost a minute, I decided to speak.

"You better have a really good explanation Lian Withlock" I hissed quietly.


	7. Screaming Behind These Castle Walls

**Screaming behind these castle walls**

_(T.I.)_

Lian stared at me with raised eyebrows for a moment, before a soft, quiet chuckle burst through his lips. I scowled at his seemingly happy face, waiting for the amusement to fade away from it. It didn't.

"Whether it's good or not all depends on how you look at it" he said cryptically.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, frowning.

"Come."

He offered me a hand, waiting for me to grasp it when I only stared suspiciously. After a few seconds of me only glaring, he lowered it, shrugging.

"Oh, well. It's probably easier this way anyway."

Without me noticing him moving, he swiftly removed the comforter over me and scooped me up, holding me bridal style.

"What the-?" I began, but was quickly cut off when Lian bent his head down over me, his beautiful face an inch from mine.

"If you want your answers, then shush" he whispered.

I continued to scowl at him, but remained quiet as he exited the room with me in his arms – and Marco blissfully unaware in his little land of dreams.

Lian brought me to a library; it was huge and pretty, just like the rest of the house. He gently set me down before closing and locking the door behind us. When he turned around to face me, I'd moved away, giving myself some space. I glared at him with my hands placed on my hips, my face red with the anger boiling inside of me.

"You are a horrible, mean, cruel leech, you know that? Not only do you kidnap me, lock me inside and refuse to let me go; you also have the nerve to abandon me, leaving me in the hands of a vampire who pretty much hates my guts, just so you can play happy-go-lucky with your fiancée-to-be, who by the way seems way too nice for you, and has got no idea of that she's had her boyfriend's prostitute living in her room for the past two weeks. I can't even find words for how awful you are!"

My hands curled into fists as I yelled and my face was redder than a tomato when I finished, breathing in the air in big gulps.

My rant did nothing to ruin Lian's joyful mood. He took a step closer to me,

tilting his head to one side in a not-so-human way.

"Are you _jealous_, love?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"How stupid are you? Did you not hear a word of what I just said?" I yelled.

"Of course I did. And too me, it sounds like jealousy."

"How _the hell_ did you get that out of my hate speech? Let me spell it out for you: I hate you very, _very_ much. I want nothing to do with you. I only want you to let me go, so that I can

forget all about these past two weeks and so that you can continue your wonderful, romantic

life with your lovely Fiona."

"You know I won't-"

I cut him off immediately.

"And if you _don't_, then I'll tell her all about this kidnapping and I'll tell her _my_ side of the story, none of your 'I just want you to give yourself a break' crap."

My voice was dangerous, threatening even and my dark mood seemed to finally seep through Lian's many layers of happiness. His face turned into a scowl, his black eyes twinkling with anger rather than joy.

"In that case, I'll have to lock you up again. I won't let you hurt her that way."

"You won't let _me_ hurt her? Don't you realize that this is _all your fault_? You did this to her, not me."

"She's happy, there's no reason to ruin that. Especially not when I've been nothing but faithful. I have done nothing even remotely prohibited with you."

"So why won't you let me tell her then?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest and raising my eyebrows.

"You might lie."

"I wouldn't. I'm a horrible liar, you know that."

The fury drained from Lian's face as he squirmed under my calm, confident gaze.

"She might misunderstand-"

"Well, that wouldn't be too hard, would it? Because _no one_ seems to understand what's going on. I doubt even _you_ know."

To my surprise, Lian didn't respond.

"And even if you don't tell her, I think she'll find out sooner or later. Firstly, my scent is all over her room. That might make her just a tad bit suspicious."

"The first time she entered her room, you were with her. Your scent remained in the air around her all the time. She hasn't been in there since; she sleeps in my room. We'll be able to get rid of your smell before she returns" Lian responded in a monotone voice.

I gaped at his detailed explanation and emotionless voice.

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" My voice was quiet, baffled.

He shrugged.

"I'm not as stupid as I might seem." A weak smile made it's way to his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

He looked like a lost, ashamed puppy, with big, dark eyes begging for the understanding and compassion I couldn't offer him. Because I loathed the bloodsucker in front of me.

I let out an exasperated sigh, massaging my tempels.

"Lian, even if she doesn't find out now, even if you do lock me up like an animal again, she's gonna find out soon enough. You're getting married for Christ's sake; you're gonna move in together. What are you gonna do with me then? You can't keep me forever, that much is obvious. Are you gonna ruin my life and yours as well, just because you feel like being stubborn?"

I took a step closer, waving my hands in exasperation.

"Because that's just ridiculous! Let me go, Lian. Let me go home. Let me return to the

life and people I love; let me be happy."

He still remained silent, refusing to meet my pleading eyes, and I took another step closer. Living at the mansion had taught me that begging often got you further than sheer anger.

"You'll save yourself _a lot_ of trouble, trust me. And when I say a lot, I mean _a lot_. I'm not giving up, I'm_ never_ giving up. I'm gonna fight until you release me and what you've seen this far isn't even a warm-up. I'll turn into a monster, a killer if I have to."

He finally met my gaze, not as sorry looking as before when I started with the threats, so I decided to go back to pleading.

"Please, let me stay human. Don't make me turn into an angry monster. Please, just let me go, Lian. _Please._"

There was a pathetic quiver to that last word, but I ignored it, waiting for a reaction from my

capturer.

He stared into my pleading eyes for an impossibly long moment. He hesitantly reached for my hands, grasping them in his own, cold ones. I let him, holding my breath while waiting for his answer.

And then he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, love. You're staying."

I stared at him in shock for almost a minute, completely baffled. And then realization hit me and I tore my hands out of his firm grasp, backing away from the vampire I hated with a passion that now filled me.

"That doesn't make any sense _at all_!" I screeched, still backing away.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I...I..." he trailed off uncertainly, and I didn't give him a chance to speak again.

I tore out some books from a shelf next to me, throwing them at him in fury. He slowly moved in my direction, but I kept hauling books at him, stopping his advance.

"I. Am. Done." I cried. "No more Miss Nice, no more humoring you. I. Am. _DONE!_" I screamed.

Lian looked at me with a mix of fear and fascination, still walking in my direction while easily dodging the flying objects I aimed at him. Rage had completely taken over my mind, as I blindly threw everything I could get my hands on, at my object of hatred.

Soon enough, Lian got bored of humoring me, and without any forewarning he was suddenly right in front of me, grabbing a hold of my flaying wrists and making me drop the books I'd gathered in my hands. They fell to the floor with a loud thud – there was a finality to the sound.

"Enough" he said calmly.

"No!" I hissed, trying to worm and twist myself out of his stone grasp. When I failed, I screamed loudly in frustration, and was satisfied to see his face change from calm to panicky.

Just like so many other times before, he quickly pushed me up against a wall, forcing a hand over my open mouth to muffle the loud sounds. Before, his sudden closeness had always surprised and intimidated me, but not anymore. I continued to squirm and fight, biting at the hand squashing my lips. When that didn't work, I pulled my knee up in a powerful motion, kneeding him where it counted. Pain flashed over his face as his grip slackened. I took the opportunity to punch his pretty, straight nose hard, before pushing him of off me. My hand throbbed slightly from making contact with his stone skin, but I paid the pain no mind as I sprinted for the library door.

An evil grin spread over my face as I reached it, but it soon turned into a deep scowl as the door refused to move; it was locked. Lian was already back up on his feet, and I sprinted off in the opposite direction, trying to get as far away as possible from him. I noticed him stumbling slightly and realized that I'd caused him more damage than I'd thought I could. The smug smile immediately found its way back to my lips again.

Realizing that he was going to catch me no matter what I did, I decided to cause some more havoc before he caught up with me. I tore down everything in my path, including nine feet tall bookshelves, expensive looking lamps and antique tables, all the while screaming bloody murderer.

Too my huge surprise, Lian didn't stop me. Instead, I heard the door click, and I immediately stopped to look at what had caused the sound. But I never got the chance to.

Just as I turned around, something hit me hard from behind and rammed me up against the nearest wall – face first – pushing me up against it, hard. My hands were held behind my back and my scream was cut off as I gasped for the air I'd lost when I was thrown into the hard stone. When I got the air back in my lungs, I moaned silently in pain; the entire front side of my body throbbed.

"Quiet."

The harsh, low growl in my ear made me freeze in shock, my joints locking involuntarily. It was not Lian's. But the body locking mine in place, pulled away slightly anyway, letting me catch my breath and giving my throbbing body a break.

"What the?"

I froze once again when I heard the female, bell-like voice, not having to struggle in my capturer's grip to see who it was, because I already knew. Fiona.

"Fiona, just go back to bed. We'll take care of this, honey" I heard Lian's voice answer soothingly, further away from me than it should've been.

I squirmed slightly, trying catch a glimpse of his face.

"Stay still" the voice in my ear warned, and this time I recognized it; Marco.

"Lian, what the hell is going on?" Sloan's voice was shocked and horrified.

Slowly, Marco pulled away from the wall, moving us to face the small group that had gathered at the door. He took a few steps in their direction, still with my back pulled up against his chest and my arms tightly held behind me. I obeyed, too intimidated by the powerful vampire holding me, not to.

"Why are you asking him? It's Marco's pet." Vanessa's voice was mocking. She smiled smugly in my direction, folding her arms over her chest.

Fiona, who looked completely baffled, shifted her wide eyes from Lian's innocent face to me and Marco.

"Marco, what happened?" she asked.

"Yes, brother, what exactly is going on here?" Sloan filled in, folding his heavily muscled arms over his chest.

The silence that followed was almost deafening, even though it only lasted for a second. I decided to keep quiet to, not wanting Marco to rip my arms out of their sockets.

"She was sleep walking."

His voice was emotionless, casual, a tone you used while shrugging before changing the subject to a more interesting topic.

"She was, _what_?" Sloan spluttered.

"Sleep walking" Lian answered. "She went a little crazy when Marco tried waking her up."

"How do you know this?" Fiona asked, still looking at Marco and me with a stunned expression on her face.

"I woke up, hearing strange noises and I immediately ran to my brother's aid. I thought we had another thief in here." Lian winked at me and I glared back.

"_Another_ one?" Fiona squeaked. "As in, there's been one here recently?"

An uncomfortable silence followed her question.

"We took care of that thief, dear. Don't worry" Lian reassured her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He kissed her hair, but the frown that had appeared on her face during the silence, remained. Her suspicious facial expression brought me hope. Perhaps she would put two and two together, realizing that the thief they'd "taken care of" was standing right in front of her.

But naturally, she didn't.

Instead, she pulled away from Lian, grabbing his hand instead and towing him towards the open door.

"I just want to go back to sleep" she muttered while leaving. Lian didn't even turn to glance in my direction as they disappeared through the door.

The other two vampires stayed in the doorway, just as Marco remained frozen in the middle of the room. A few minutes passed before Sloan spoke.

"That was close."

He got no response.

"Marco, this is madness. Why are you doing this?"

"It wasn't exactly my idea" he responded coolly.

"Then why are you humoring him?" Vanessa asked.

"He wants the human to stay and therefore she will."

"It's not right. Fiona is going to find out, and she is going to be devastated" she argued.

"Lian is being stupid and selfish, you must see that. He can't keep the cake and eat it at the same time" Sloan agreed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marco grumbled.

"He can't keep a prostitute here while marrying Fiona" Sloan explained, looking tired.

"He doesn't regard this human that way" Marco defended.

"Brother, stop living in denial. You know just as well as I that he's being downright idiotic. He's lying, not only to us and to Fiona, but to himself. Make him see reason, Marco. He won't listen to me."

Sloan's argumentation surprised me. It seemed as if they knew just a little as I did about Lian's real reasons for keeping me, but they did seem to have a few clues. I was curious.

"Just let the girl go, darling" Vanessa sighed.

"Why do you even care?" Marco hissed. "It's not as if you two give a damn about Lian and Fiona."

Vanessa rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Because we're tired of acting" Sloan grumbled.

Almost a minute followed, without anyone uttering a word. Vanessa and Sloan seemed to be waiting just as devotedly as I.

"The girl is staying" Marco concluded.

"_Marco!_" Vanessa whined.

"I'm not discussing this" he hissed, forcing me to move as he started towards the door.

His hold on me was tight; I couldn't even try to fight against it. And if I'd just let my legs give out, I didn't doubt that he'd literally drag me back to the bedroom.

As we entered his bedroom, he released me, shoving my body away from his. I caught a brief glimpse of the almost-pink color shining in through the windows, casting a veil of light over the room as the sun rose. It was almost morning.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang and I spun around only to come face to face with...nothing. Marco had left. I didn't even bother trying the handle; I knew it would be locked.

I threw myself on the bed, blowing out a huge breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I closed my eyes, throwing my arms over my face.

I needed a new plan.

* * *

The day passed and I was lonelier than ever. Marco stopped by three time to drop off some food, only to leave mere seconds after he'd arrived. I ate and thought, trying to figure out what I was going to do next. The situation seemed impossible at the moment.

As the sun set and the night fell over the mansion, creating an eerie silence and a compact darkness. Something seemed off. When I went to bed the dark haired vampire still hadn't returned and I went to sleep, feeling uneasy and confused.

I woke up with a start, a sheen layer of sweat covering my entire body. I panted, frantically turning my head in every direction to take in the room. Something was wrong; my mind screamed danger.

I sat there in the darkness, the only sound my heavy breathing. My gaze immediately shifted to the door as the lock quietly clicked open and the doorknob was pushed down slowly. I stared in fear, unable to move my frozen limbs.

When the brown haired super model opened the door and stepped into the room, I seemed to find my scared body again, moving to stand as far away from her as possible. She didn't seem surprised when she found me awake. She just closed the door and locked it carefully before turning to gaze at me with her black, piercing eyes.

"What do you want?" I whispered, my voice refusing to gain any volume.

She gracefully took a few steps closer, ending up in the middle of the room with the moonlight falling over her still, beautiful form. She gazed out the window for a moment, obviously in no hurry to give me an answer. When she turned her gaze back to me, her eyes were determined.

"I want you to go" she told me in a cold voice; it sounded like a bad imitation of Marco.

"Why?" I asked baffled.

She chuckled mockingly.

"Are you really in a position to ask questions, human?"

I only frowned at her. She smiled smugly as she saw my stubborn facial expression.

"Fine, then. I don't live here, I only visit a few times a year. And you're destroying my stay by staying with the one person I come here for."

"Lian?" I gasped.

"No, stupid, Marco" she hissed. "Ever since he decided to play along with Lian, we haven't gotten a moment to ourselves."

"Oh." It surprised me that it had taken me this long to understand; it _was _pretty obvious.

She gazed at me as if she was waiting for some other kind of response. As if she wanted me to do something.

"Then what to you want me to do?" I asked.

"I want you to _leave_" she growled.

"_How?_" I laughed once without humor. "You don't think I've tried? Because, believe me, trying to escape is about the only thing I've been doing since I got here."

She smiled – it sent chills down my spine – before waving at the door.

"I know. And that's why I'm presenting you with this opportunity. It's about the only chance you'll ever get."

I stared at the door in confusion.

"When I unlock this door, I want you to run to the stables – they're open. There will be a horse waiting for you. And then ride as fast as you can and don't stop until you've reached your town."

I continued to gaze at her in shock, gratitude filling me.

"Thank you" I whispered.

She only nodded in my direction, before turning on her heel. She swiftly unlocked the door, holding it open for me. I hesitantly walked over to it, standing in the doorway for a moment, letting determination fill me. Vanessa bent down to whisper one word in my ear.

"Run."

* * *

**Okay, I was pretty stressed out when I uploaded this, so I never reread it. In other words, there are probably tons of grammatical errors. Please, try to see past that.**

**I'm gonna try to update weekly during my Christmas break, but to be able to do that, I'll need your encouragement. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**


	8. The Sweet Escape

**The sweet escape**

_(Gwen Stefani)_

_Run_, Vanessa had told me. And I did.

Just as she´d promised, there was a horse prepared for me. Large and beautiful, the white stallion stood waiting in the stable, its combed mane and well-polished bridle shimmering in the moonlight. A girl I recognized held onto his reins, looking utterly terrified. I continued to run towards them and after a moment I remembered her name; Cassie. Her eyes widened in fright as she took in my approaching form.

As I reached them, I leaned against the horse's side, panting heavily. The horse shifted away from me, snorting slightly and tossing its big head.

"Easy, boy" I mumbled, stroking his snow-white neck.

I paused for another few seconds, before determinedly grabbing a hold of the reins and placing myself in a better position. The stallion tensed, but remained still.

"Help me up?" I whispered to Cassie.

She just nodded, still staring at me with saucer eyes. Grabbing a hold of my left legs she easily tossed me up on the horse's back, holding onto its bridle until she saw that I'd regained my balance.

"You ready?" she asked, looking into my determined eyes.

I nodded.

"As ready as I'll ever be" I mumbled.

And then I bore my heels into the stallion's sides, urging him forward. He immediately responded, throwing himself into a fast gallop and making a spurt out of the stable and into the dark night.

My grandfather had taught me how to ride when I was little – before he died from a heart attack. However, as the horse bolted through the thick forest, I quickly realized that everything I'd ever learned meant absolutely nothing. There was no safe fence that would prevent the horse from running away with hysterically screaming on its back, no comfortable saddle that could help me stay on and this stallion was definitely not the cute, little pony I'd been trotting around on during my childhood. In other words: I had absolutely no control.

But I clung onto the horses neck, holding its white mane tightly and keeping my legs firmly pressed to its sides, squeezing them every other second to urge the horse forward. And after a while things like fences, saddles and the horse's size seemed pretty insignificant. Soon enough I found my balance and the rhythm of the gallop came to match my heartbeat. It sang out one word with every stride; _home_, _home_, _home_.

Time passed and the horse's rhythmic pace became uneven as sweat broke out on it's neck and flanks. When the transparent sweat turned into white foam, I slowed to a walk. Just as its gallop, the animal's breathing was uneven and loud snorts left its nostrils every other second. The sounds the stallion was making, made me worried, not only because it meant that he was tired, but because the noises would attract attention – perhaps not from vampires, but from other beings living in the forest.

The silence lay as a mist over the forest as I rocked with my horse's now slow movements. The cold bit my cheeks, my bare arms and feet, and I shivered violently. I cursed my own stupidity; who ran outside without shoes and a jacket in the middle of January? But even as my lips turned blue and I continued to tremble, it was not the treacherous cold that raised goose bumps on my skin; it was the silence. It was too quiet; something was wrong. It was as if the trees and their leafs were holding their breaths too, waiting for something to happen.

I gazed up at the sky, hoping to find some comfort in the star's twinkling and the moon's calm glow. But nothing. A thick, grey layer of clouds covered the light orbs I desired, making me feel as if I was shut inside of a box. Even though I'd been locked up inside of a mansion for the past few weeks, I had never before felt as trapped and locked up as I felt right now.

I tore my eyes away from the sky, shivering even harder.

A few minutes later my horse seemed to have recovered. He neighed loudly twice, lifting his head high and tilting his ears to hear the response that would never come. I rubbed his neck soothingly before nudging him with my heels, wanting to do everything I could to break the eerie silence. He obeyed, swiftly breaking into a new gallop. I sighed in relief as the sound of his drumming hooves and my heartbeat filled my ears.

My relief didn't last for long. Only minutes later, my horse came to a dead stop. I almost fell off, only managing to stay on because I wrapped my arms around his neck and forced my body to straighten up and regain its balance. This only took two seconds, but during those seconds I could feel the horse's muscles tense and see its ears twitch, moving to follow a sound I couldn't hear.

And then the stallion suddenly took off again, with me desperately pulling on the reins, all to no avail. If I thought we'd been going fast before, I'd been dead wrong. As the white horse bolted through the forest, faster than lightning, pure, cold fear filled my body. Not because I'd lost control, but because I realized that there was always a reason for a horse to panic. These animals fled whenever danger came close, and right not the horse was literally running for its life.

I heard them before I saw them. Howls that chilled me to the bone, filled the air and broke the creepy silence that I now missed. It didn't take them too long to catch up with my already tired horse, which entire body was covered in a sheen layer of sweat, just like mine. I urged him on, screaming words of encouragement and violently banging my legs hard against his flanks; I didn't care if it hurt him, it was either picking up the pace or death. But no matter how much I kicked, it was hopeless. My horse was completely worn-out, and soon enough, he came to a halt, both of us shivering violently.

Growls filled the ear and I raised my head from where it rested on the horse's neck, gazing around to find the reason to why the strong stallion had given up; we were surrounded by wolves, baring their teeth. I struggled to stay on as my horse tensed once again, snorting angrily and almost tap-dancing around in a circle. He stomped his front leg in warning, and the wolves obviously took it as an invitation to move closer. Snarling, they closed in on us.

As the first, grey wolf came so closed it could almost touch my horse, he rose slightly on his hind legs, his front hooves leaving the ground for a second. The wolf growled, but took a step back. I tightened the hold on the mane, holding my breath. Perhaps we had a shot.

The next time they tried approaching, two members of the pack closed in on us from behind. Immediately, my horse's ears moved to lay licked against his head and as he rolled his eyes back to show some of the white in them, he kicked. I twisted my head to see the wolves backing away, and if my face hadn't been frozen from the cold, I would've smiled. Another, smaller wolf crept forward and just as it was about to take a bit of my horse's front legs, he reared.

And then something went wrong. Horribly wrong.

As I felt my horse's muscles tense, I prepared for another small rear, his hooves only leaving the ground for mere seconds. But as my stallion rose to his full height, trusting his hind legs only, fear gripped me. I started sliding down his back to his hind-quarters desperately trying to stay on by squeezing my legs harder around him and tugging on the reins that remained in my hands. It didn't help, and I slowly continued on my way towards the hard ground.

But something was off with the stallion's rearing. As I slowly slid down his body, he staggered back a step, loosing his balance. And when my body hit the ground, the back of my head colliding with the icy ground with a creepy crack, he fell backwards. The collision my head made with the ice made darkness cover my vision for a moment. What brought me back to reality was the sound of two sharp snaps; the sound of bones being crushed. And then I _felt_ it. The unbearably heavy weight of my horse and the searing, white pain coming from my left leg. An inhuman cry filled the ear, and it took me a second to realize that it came from me. My eyes remained closed as I panted, both from the pain and the weight added on the lower part of my body. I stayed like that for what seemed like forever, probably passing out in the process.

When I opened my eyes again, that eerie silence once again surrounded me. The wolves were nowhere in sight; the only proof of them ever existing were the foot prints in the snow. It was a strain just to keep my eyes open, but I struggled to gaze at the white mass of fur covering my legs. My horse was panting, his breathing uneven, but his black eyes still open. I stretched out a hand to stroke his neck soothingly, but he twitched under my touch, obviously surprised. As his body shifted, more weight was added on my injured leg and another blood freezing cry filled the air. The horse seemed to be trying to get ut, but was unable to. I groaned, biting my lips to prevent another scream, as he gave up his struggle, falling back against my legs with a defeated sound that could only be described as a sigh.

I don't know how long we lay there in the snow. I fell in and out of consciousness, honestly preferring the sweet relief of unconsciousness to the bitter, painful reality. After a while my body starting growing numb, but whether it depended on the cold or the blood loss I was suffering from, I had no idea. I only new that the sharp pain in my head indicated that I had more than just a concussion going on up there. During one of my short moments of consciousness, I tilted my head slightly to the left, only to find the snow covered in red.

The pain was unbearable, but as I realized that I was dying, I started struggling against the darkness embracing me every other minute. I didn't want to die; I was young, I had too much left of my life. As I realized that I could do nothing to prevent it, I started crying, the tears turning into ice against my cold cheeks.

Soon, keeping my eyes open was too much of a strain, and I was lucky if I managed to stay conscious – but blind – for more than a few seconds in a row. I was too exhausted to cry, almost too tired to even care about death approaching, but something in the back of my mind screamed for me to try harder.

"Please" I whispered, my voice quivering. "Please."

I don't know who I was pleading with, and after four more 'pleases' I grew too weak to speak.

When I first heard his voice, I thought I'd died and come to heaven. He sounded like an angel, his silky smooth, comforting voice filling my heart with a warmth I'd never imagined I had inside of me. It was distant at first, his beautiful voice, but sooner than I'd thought possible, it came closer until it was right at my ear. Mere moments afterwards, some part of my mind registered that the weight was moved off of my legs. I screamed once as it was shifted over my broken bone, but relaxed back against the ground once the weight was completely gone.

It was hard to make out the words, his sweet voice was like music to my ears; a beautiful melody that didn't need any meaning. But once his voice grew more urgent, his warm hands travelling over my cold, limp body, I forced my eyes to open slightly. I managed to peer up at him and would've gasped at what I saw if I'd had any control over my body.

His face was more beautiful than I remembered it and his eyes shone a beautiful, light silver –a color I'd never seen on a human being before. But on the other hand, he wasn't human. My fingers tingled, longing to touch that pale, smooth skin of his to check if he was real, but just as the rest of my body, they remained limp and useless at my sides.

"Love? Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

I frowned for a moment, wondering who he was talking to. But as he continued to intensely gaze into my eyes, I started suspecting that it was me he was speaking with. I continued to frown, wondering what I'd done to deserve such a gorgeous creature calling me loving names.

I was to weak to talk and after a few failed attempts, I settled with just peeking up at him through my half-closed, tired eyelids.

"We have to move her." A new voice filled the night, and I frowned. I didn't like the sound of that voice; it was too deep, too cold, nothing like Lian's warm one. And I didn't like that it made Lian look away from me.

"Marco, her spine. It might be broken."

"Your venom will heal everything."

Lian drew in a sharp breath, glancing down at me again. "She wouldn't want that."

His brother remained silent for what felt like forever. I closed my eyes and started shivering again. I wanted to go back to the mansion badly. Some part of my brain registered that I wasn't as cold as before and when I struggled to open my eyes again, I saw the thick, black cloak covering my body and felt some kind of pressure against a point on my head. It probably would've hurt, if I wasn't numb and half-dead already.

"Lian, she's dying. Broken spine or not, you have to carry her back home. We'll deal with her injuries and the consequences there."

My personal angel looked into my eyes for an impossibly long moment and I peered back. I couldn't remember why I'd ever hated him, or why I'd even been mad at him. He was kind, beautiful, perfect.

Lian swiftly tore his eyes away from mine and slid his arms underneath my body, easily lifting me off the ground. Tightly wrapped in a cloak and pressed up against his warm chest with his arms around me, I immediately felt better. I felt safe for the first time in 13 years.

When we arrived at the mansion, the entire house buzzed with activity. I heard people everywhere, and as we entered the big hall, the warm, golden light penetrated my closed eyelids. They fluttered a few times, but refused to open.

Lian's stride was determined and he refused to stop, even when his fiancée-to-be got in the way. I didn't see Fiona, but I heard her frantic, bell-like voice.

"Lian, honey, what's going on?"

"Get out of my way" he told her coolly.

I felt his pace change as he started climbing the stairs, and heard Marco murmuring soothing, reassuring words to Fiona. Shocking, I didn't know the vampire had a heart, let alone knew how to comfort someone.

I was placed on a bed and whined slightly when Lian's warm arms left my freezing body, but my eyes still refused to open and check where he went. Only a few minutes later his arms once again wrapped around me, removing me from the bed. I sighed in contentment, leaning my head against his hard chest.

And then I was screaming. Boiling water enfolded my body, burning my skin like flames licking it. My arms flayed in protest, my eyes opening wide without me asking them to. Lian calmly held down my protesting limbs, keeping me in the tub, under the too hot water. He stroked my hair gently once I'd grown so tired I couldn't fight, murmuring soothing words. His touch and voice slowly coaxed me into relaxation and once my body stopped tensing, I noticed that the water wasn't unbearably warm. I could literally feel my body heat returning and I relaxed further into the tub, closing my eyes again. When the warmth returned, the numbness faded away and soon I could feel the pain in my injured leg again. I bit my lip to prevent a pathetic moan.

"How is she?"

Just like Marco's, this new voice was also too deep to be Lian's, but calm and kind enough not to startle or upset me. I recognized it, but couldn't remember from where and I was way too tired to open my eyes and check.

"Gregory" Lian sighed in relief. "She's warm now at the very least."

"Have you spotted any injuries?"

"There's a deep cut in her head, but I managed to stop most of the bleeding. She probably bashed her head against the ground pretty hard, and I'm willing to bet that she's got a concussion. Her left leg is definitely broken. I don't know about her spine. She won't move her legs, but I don't know if that's because of an injury or because she was so cold." Lian sounded worried, and I wanted to do something – anything – to soothe him, but couldn't remember how.

"Well, it seems as if you've done everything you can, Lian. I'm sure she'll be fine. I'll get to work right away."

Lian didn't respond, he only kept stroking my hair. I heard some rustling around before the man spoke again.

"What's her name?"

"I still don't know" Lian responded mournfully.

The man chuckled in response and I struggled to open my eyes. My vision was blurry, but I forced my eyelids up, peeking at the man kneeling next to Lian. After a moment of taking in his appearance, I remembered who it was; the vampire doctor, Mr Fairclough.

As I kept gazing at him, he turned to look me in the eye.

"Hello, sweetheart" he said, smiling gently. "I'm guessing you're still being just as stubborn as you were when I visited last time."

I opened my mouth to respond, but found that my voice was gone. I groaned, closing my eyes and leaning back against the tub again. _Everything_ hurt.

"It's okay, I'll give you something for the pain" the doctor said calmly. I remained silent.

"Greg, I'm worried. She's so calm, she's not even trying to object" Lian said. He placed a hand against my cheek, and it felt cool, not warm like before. I frowned slightly, wondering what had caused the change. "And her skin's burning."

"She's suffering from a fever and she's been severely injured, Lian. She's in a lot of pain. By tomorrow, I guarantee you, she will be back to her normal, angry, vampire loathing self."

Something stung the inside of my elbow and soon darkness started filling my head, hugging me close and rocking me into a peaceful state. But before I let unconsciousness win, I struggled to open my mouth.

"Lian, please, don't leave me" I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper.

His hand firmly grabbed my own and I could feel his breath on my cheek as he leaned in closer.

"Never" he murmured in my ear.

His touch was the last thing I felt before succumbing to the darkness.

* * *

**Okay, new chappie within a week! Yeay, me.**

**How pissed do you think Bea will be when she wakes up, not only discovering that she's failed to escape, but that she temporarily forgot that she hated Lian?**

**Please, review people. Helps a lot! **


	9. Tearing Love Apart

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I'm so, so, so sorry! I know I promised you weekly updates, but there have been things (private stuff, sorry) getting in the way, and I simply haven't been able to write.

**Things are kinda shitty right now, but I'm gonna do my best and try updating within a week from now on. No promises though! Sometimes writing isn't exactly prio number one.**

**I'm really not satisfied with this chapter, but here it is anyways.**

**Thank you for the awesome reviews! They really help me write.**

* * *

**Tearing love apart**

_(__Christina Perri)_

"_Why the _fuck_ did you do that?_"

I frowned at the angry, loud voice, disturbing my peaceful sleep. The tone didn't fit that usually soothing voice and I'd definitely not known that the word "fuck" existed in its vocabulary.

"Lian, calm-"

"You nearly _killed_ her. If I hadn't heard her voice when I did, she would've been dead now, all because of your stupidity and selfishness."

"Lian, listen to me. I unlocked a door. A _door_. The rest she managed all on her own. I gave her a chance at escape, and she took it. Doesn't that prove something? She doesn't want to be here" a female voice tried reasoning back.

"Don't pretend this about her. This has got nothing to do with her."

"It has got everything to do with her. This entire argument is about her, stupid." The voice had turned sneer instead of soothing.

"Your reasons for _helping_ her has got nothing to do with sympathy, you idiot. They were all about you. It's always about you, Vanessa. When will you grow up and think about someone else for a change?" Lian growled.

"Lian" a new, cold voice cautioned. "She only did what she thought was right. No matter the motives behind her action, she never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"Well, someone _did_ get hurt because of her. And maybe, if she'd had just an ounce of empathy in her body, she might have stopped and thought-"

"How _dare_ you call me selfish after what you've done? You've forced _everyone_ to participate in your little act, so that you could have both Fiona and that whore in there" the female voice screeched.

"Don't talk about her that way!" Lian growled.

"Have you even _thought_ about Fiona during the last couple of days?" Vanessa went on, ignoring his comment. "What she would say when she found out you went behind her back? When she found out that you lied to her, cheated on her-"

"I did no such thing."

"Oh please, it's all in your eyes. It's so obvious; it's a miracle you're still denying it. You want her, Lian. You want her bad. But as long as Fiona's in the picture, you can never have her." Vanessa paused to sigh. "I thought I was doing you a favor. I thought I would make you see reason. You and Fiona fit so well together. She's happy, considerate, beautiful, wonderful. She's perfect for you Lian. I'd hate to see you ruin that."

Lian didn't respond.

"You may call me selfish, but Fiona is a friend of mine. And I will _not_ tolerate you treating her the way you do" she continued. "Do the right thing. Let the poor prostitute go. She wants nothing to do with you. She's been here, how long now? Almost a month? And she still rejects you, still tries to run away whenever she gets the chance to."

A pregnant silence followed; I could feel the tension all the way into the room I was laying in, still half-asleep with my eyes closed.

"She's right, Lian" the cold, dead voice interjected. "You have to choose now. It's not right to continue like this."

"Make the right choice, Lian" Vanessa pleaded.

There was another silence.

"I can't" he said, exasperated. "I can't let her go. I just _can't_."

"You're impossible" Vanessa hissed.

The sound of retreating heels made my head throb slightly. After it had died down, no one spoke for at least a couple of minutes.

"Lian, this is a mistake-" Marco tried.

"I know I've made quite a mess of things. And I know it might seem crazy, but I can't let her go" Lian responded.

"Why?" His brother sounded shocked, exasperated even.

"That's what's so frustrating about all of this" Lian let out an almost hysterical chuckle. "I can't even _explain_ why. I just can't let her go, even if that means loosing Fiona. I just simply _can't_."

There was a slight pause.

"You have no idea of how much I loathe myself right now. And how much I hate _her_. I can't believe I'm letting her do this to me. I don't even know her name."

"So don't let her."

There was another silence, and perhaps some kind of mute form of conversation, because Lian's next words didn't fit into the conversation.

"I'm sorry."

"Just don't get yourself hurt" Marco grumbled. "That human in there means trouble."

"I know." I could almost imagine the smirk on Lian's face.

No more words were spoken and since the door to the room I was currently staying in didn't open, I relaxed back into the mattress, letting out a huge sigh. My mind was foggy and slow, and I didn't remember how I'd ended up here and why. I didn't fully understand the conversation either, only that the prostitute they spoke of must've been me – unless they'd decided to open a bordello during my escape.

I let out another huge sigh, before letting sleep overtake consciousness. I would worry and put all the pieces together later. But for now, sweet, sweet oblivion accompanied the darkness that encircled me.

* * *

I squirmed uncomfortably on the silky sheets, trying to escape the cold thing that was pressed to my chest. Sleep was still clouding my mind, but before I'd managed to shake it off, the icy thing had been removed and my body was left alone once again...

Only to suddenly be rolled over onto my stomach, having the uncomfortable, cold thing pressed to my back instead. I yelped in shock, my eyes fluttering open.

"Hey!" I protested.

The cold thing left my skin.

"So you're awake?"

I frowned slightly at the deep, calm voice, not recognizing it. And also wondering what the hell it was doing in my room, pressing ice to random spots on my skin.

I rolled over onto my back again, with some difficulty since my left leg absolutely refused to cooperate. The vamp doctor was sitting on a chair next to the bed, looking at me with curiosity in his eyes. He was holding a stethoscope and why someone had been pressed a cold thing to my body suddenly made sense.

"Obviously" I responded, a few seconds too late.

His light grey eyes moved up and down the length of my body; not the way my clients hungrily gazed at me, but as if he was just simply checking the state of it – just like a doctor.

"Despite the circumstances, I'd say you look better than the last time I saw you. You've put on some weight." He smiled kindly at me.

"Now you're calling me fat? Wow, what a way to start a conversation." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but offer the bloodsucker next to me a small smile. It was just too hard not to. Perhaps they were still pumping drugs into my system; I frowned at that thought.

I followed the doctor's – what was his name again? – gaze to see that my uncooperative leg had been put in plaster from the knee down.

"Oh, no" I moaned.

The doctor's grin widened as he looked at the troubled expression on my face.

"You won't be doing any running for a while" he chuckled. "As a matter of fact, you won't even be allowed out of bed until _that_" – he pointed a finger at my head – "has fully healed."

I cautiously fingered the spot he'd pointed at, discovering that a thick gauze bandage had been wrapped all the way around my head.

"What's wrong with my head?" I asked weakly, wincing as I touched an especially sore spot on the back of it.

"A mild concussion and a pretty nasty wound" he answered calmly.

"Well that's just great" I grumbled.

The doctor's face turned severe at my words.

"It would've been a lot worse if Lian hadn't found you."

"What if I didn't want to be found?" I challenged, scowling.

"You don't want to die." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

I paused, realizing that he was right.

"I don't want to be the slave of a vampire either."

The doctor sighed. "Does Lian _treat_ you like a slave?"

I didn't feel like answering, knowing that arguing was pointless. Just like everyone else, this vampire too seemed to think that Lian was a saint.

"Speaking of Lian, where _is_ he?" I asked.

"So eager to see him?" The doctor smiled.

I snorted. "Hardly."

"You didn't seem so repulsed by him last night" the doctor chuckled.

Memories from the bathroom swiftly flashed through my mind, assaulting it. For the first time in years, I felt a blush creep up to color my cheeks. I hid my face in my hands, groaning.

"Did I really beg him to stay?" I asked, mortified.

"Yes."

I looked accusingly at the doctor. "How many shots had you given me?"

He laughed at that, a warm, rumbling sound that made me smile back, though it probably looked more like a grimace. "I don't even think the drugs had started kicking in when you did that."

I scowled at his amused face. "Well, excuse me for not being a masochist. My mind gets a little confused when it feels like I'm dying."

"Whatever you say" he smiled.

I closed my eyes and we both remained silent for a while.

"What happened to the horse?" I asked suddenly, feeling guilty.

"The horse is back in the stable. I'm no vet, but by the looks of it, he'll be back to normal soon enough. He was badly injured, but I'm convinced Marco will make sure he gets the best treatment possible."

My eyes flew open.

"Marco?" I asked doubtfully.

The doctor laughed. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but for a moment last night, it almost seemed as if he was more worried about the horse than you."

"What a surprise" I drawled.

"You shouldn't take it too personally" he said calmly. "After all, he's been taking care of the Withlock horses since he was a toddler."

I frowned. "What?"

The doctor shook his head. "Never mind. He's a good man." He sighed before looking intently at me. "And so is Lian."

I closed my eyes, wanting to hear none of it.

"Whatever you say" I sang.

I heard some rustling and when I opened my eyes again he was standing up. I peeked up at him, fumbling for a memory, but finding that I it was nowhere to be found.

"What was your name again?" I asked softly.

He chuckled. "Tell you what. If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

I rolled my eyes. "Nice try."

"Oh, well. It was worth a shot." I just shook my head, smiling slightly. "And it's Gregory Fairclough."

"Right" I mumbled, remembering when I'd first been introduced to him all those weeks ago.

He started moving towards the door, and I sighed, closing my eyes again.

A hand on my shoulder made me start and my eyes shoot open again, but I didn't flinch away from the touch. The doctor was standing next to the bed, looking at me with a slightly troubled expression on his face.

"Don't be too hard on him when he comes back" he said.

"Why?" I frowned.

"He's talking to Fiona right now. I'm guessing he won't be his usual happy self when he returns to your side."

"Then why is he doing it?"

The doctor removed his hand from my shoulder, once again striding over to the door. He put a hand on the handle before shrugging.

"You'll have to ask him, sweetheart." He opened the door and stepped out, but stuck his head in before he left.

"Good luck" he said, smiling.

"Thanks" I mumbled.

* * *

I was pretty much bored out of my mind. I couldn't move, but neither was I able to fall asleep. Thoughts were spinning round and round in my head, making me feel slightly dizzy as I stared out the window. It was pitch black outside.

It was impossible to tell how long had passed since the doctor left; perhaps an hour, maybe more. I'd noticed that I was in a new room; not Fiona's and not the room I'd been in when Vanessa had decided to help me. It was oddly familiar, not only because it was almost identical to the room I'd previously stayed in – expect for the color in the room, which was green instead of red – but because I'd been in here before. It was the room from my first night at the Withlock mansion. The room that pretty much got me into this mess; Lian's.

And I wasn't even able to pry, because I couldn't get my stupid, injured body off the damn bed. Oh, the boredom.

Just as I was about to give sleep another try, the door to my room flew open with a loud _bam_. Finally, some action.

I whipped my head round, only to find Fiona standing in the doorway. She looked like a completely different person, with her fire hair tangled and wild around her scowling face, her black eyes blazing with fury and her gleaming, sharp fangs sticking out from her mouth. She stood with her hands resting on either side of the doorway, breathing heavily. Her gaze darted frantically around the room until it landed on me. I drew in a sharp breath, tensing. This was bad. _Really_ bad. I missed boredom already.

"You" she hissed, releasing the doorway to point an accusing finger in my direction.

I stayed absolutely frozen, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"You" she repeated. "It's all your fault."

"What?" I squeaked pathetically.

In a flash she moved to stand right next to the bed, towering over me. Her finger was still pointed at me.

"You've ruined my life. You disgusting, filthy, little whore."

I knew the words were supposed to be insulting, but all I could focus on were the fangs that moved with her mouth as she spoke.

She moved again, kneeling on the bed with her legs on either side of my thighs, grabbing a hold of the collar of my shirt and leaning in with her face inches from mine; I was trapped. My eyes widened even further as I gulped in fear.

"Why did you steal my fiancé? Hm?" She shook me hard with the hand grabbing my shirt and I closed my eyes, wincing at the pain. My head was throbbing. "_Why?_ What did I ever do to you?"

"I didn't do shit" I squeaked, my voice once again pathetically weak.

"Then how do you explain the fact that he just _dumped_ me because he wanted to be with his stupid, weak human instead?" She shook me once again.

"He's holding me hostage. I don't wanna be here. And I definitely don't wanna be with him."

Her eyes narrowed and her fangs seemed to grow even longer if possible.

"Liar" she hissed in my face.

I parted my lips to defend myself once again, but an animalistic growl came rumbling from her – raising goose bumps all over my skin – and I immediately shut my mouth.

"Now, you listen here, you little skank. Make Lian take me back _right now_, or so help me-"

I broke her off, raising my hands and pushing at her, trying to pry my shirt out of her stone grasp. It turned out to be impossible. Fiona laughed at my weak attempt at freeing myself. She shook her head in amusement.

"So, so weak." She laughed again, an evil laugh that made another round of goose bumps form on my skin. "I really don't know what Lian sees in you. You're pathetic."

I wiggled beneath her, refusing to give up. The fist grabbing my collar suddenly moved, making me bang the back of my head forcefully against the headboard of the bed. I cried out in pain once, before slumping back against the mattress. Black spots covered my vision, dancing in front of Fiona's scary face so that I could see none of it. It was creepy and relieving at the same time.

I could feel Fiona shift as she leaned over me, moving to breathe heavily in my right ear. I shuddered in fear.

"Now" she purred. "Since you're being so uncooperative, I guess I have no other choice than to _help_ you finish whatever's going on between you and _my_ future husband."

She paused dramatically and I struggled to catch my breath.

"And by helping you, I simply mean _ending_ you." She giggled happily.

She was nuts. Absolutely crazy. Completely out of her freaking mind. And she was going to kill me. I was going to be murdered by a giggling, vampire ginger. How sad was that?

She straightened up, smiling down at me. Swiftly a hand wrapped around my neck, choking of my air supply. I panicked, clawing at the hand killing me and trashing under her weight. She didn't budge and neither did her hand.

She giggled again. "I guess I could just break your neck." She leaned down once again to whisper in my ear. "But watching you suffer is so much more fun."

She straightened up once again, watching my struggle with a smile plastered on her pretty face, putting her creepy fangs on display.

"You're already turning purple" she stated as I continued to wiggle. "I'm guessing you'll go unconscious in about ten seconds. Shall we count down together?" She grinned even wider. "Ten. Nine. Eight."

I could feel weakness overcoming me, but my panicking body didn't give up.

"Seven. Six. Five."

My limbs were moving slowly, black dots covering my vision once again.

"Four. Three. T-"

Fiona was suddenly thrown off of me and I drew in a loud, ragged breath, coughing hysterically as I did so. I was so busy getting air back into my lungs that I almost missed the confrontation playing out right in front of me.

The redheaded beauty was no longer especially pretty as she crouched against the wall, growling menacingly at Lian, who stood protectively in front of the bed.

"Get out" he hissed.

"No" she growled back. As I gazed at Fiona's face, there was nothing left of the happy, bubbly woman I'd met only days ago. She was a monster now; a scary, furious one.

"Fiona" a new, deep voice interfered. She whipped her head around, just like me. Marco was standing in the doorway, looking oddly calm. "Come on. Leave now, and your dignity will remain intact. This isn't you."

She scowled at the dark haired vampire's severe, regretful face.

"Leave now? And let her get away with all of this" she spluttered. She turned her head to look at me again, fury once again blazing like fire in her onyx orbs. "I don't think so."

A horrifying, loud growl filled the room and could probably be heard all the way out into the forest. Goosebumps covered my entire body at the sound and I stared at Lian's back – the only part of him I could see – with shock etched on my face. He was surprising me today; first by cursing and now by sounding like a...well, I didn't really have words for what he'd sounded like. I watched Fiona shrink back, her posture loosing its threatening stance, turning defensive and scared instead.

"Get. Out." Lian spat.

Fiona gazed fearfully at him, her black eyes wide.

"Really?" she whispered. "All of this for _her_?"

"Out!" Lian repeated.

Slowly, she started backing out of the room, sneaking past Marco and out into the hallway. When she disappeared out of sight, the dark haired vampire steadily met Lian's gaze.

"I'll see her out" he mumbled, pushing himself off of the wall and following Fiona, shutting the door behind him.

For a moment, everything remained frozen and the only sound was my ragged breathing.

And then Lian swiftly whipped around to face me, moving to kneel next to me on the bed. He moved his hands over my body cautiously, checking for injuries with a frown on his face. I was too shocked to react. Instead I let him touch me, while I took the time to register what had just happened.

I was completely baffled. I'd always seen myself as an optimistic being – well, that was until Lian decided to hold me captive – but never, _ever_ had I considered myself naive. But I was. How could I possibly have considered Fiona nice and sweet, when that monster was lurking inside of her, right under the surface, just waiting to break free? I was utterly naive – and unobservant.

I was brought out of my interior monologue when Lian placed a warm hand against my head, placing his thumb against my cheek and shifting my head so that I met his kind, light grey eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

I stared back into his eyes, as if in a daze. Memories from last night assaulted me as I met his gaze, and just like that, the clouds in my mind dispersed and I remembered who I was – and more importantly, who _he_ was.

I tore myself away from his hand, scowling at him.

"What the _hell_ was that?" I screeched.

Lian's eyes widened in response to my sudden attitude change.

"What?" he asked, stunned.

"How the hell could you even _consider _marrying a crazy woman like that? She's absolutely nuts! A monster!"

He continued to stare at me, completely dumbfounded

"And how could you let _me_ take the blame for your actions? You selfish" – I raised my fist and punched his hard chest – "evil" – punch – "cruel" – punch – "sadistic" – punch – "leech!" I cried.

He grabbed my flaying wrists, holding them firmly to prevent me from striking him again. I didn't understand why – it obviously didn't hurt him.

"You're gonna hurt yourself screaming and hitting like that" he cautioned. So that was why he stopped me. "And it's not my fault she made her own assumptions."

"You could've at least made an effort to _try_ to stop her, you irresponsible jerk. But no, instead you gladly let the crazy lunatic run back here, trying to strangle me to death. And almost _succeeding_" I hissed.

"She's not crazy" Lian frowned. "She's young. She's barely two years old."

I stared at him in absolute horror.

"Are you a pedophile too? What did you give her, super growth hormones? No freaking two year old has got boobs like that!" I ranted hysterically.

Lian rolled his eyes.

"How many shots did Greg give you? She's only been a _vampire _for two years, stupid. She's still got problems with mood swings and anger management."

"You don't say" I spluttered.

"It's not her fault" Lian defended her.

"You're right" I interfered before he could continue. "It's all _your_ fault. All of this. Her anger, heartbreak, whatever that was. My injuries. _Your. Fault_"

"Oh, please" he bit. "Not the blame-game again."

I scowled at him, wondering where his newfound sarcasm and confidence had come from. He rolled his eyes at my stubborn facial expression and moved off of the bed.

"It's time to sleep now" he grumbled, switching the lights of as he spoke. I sighed, slumping into the mattress. I'd expected to hear the door open, close and lock as he left, but instead I heard the sheets rustling and felt the bed shift as someone climbed into it.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Sleeping" he growled. I was both annoyed and fascinated by the way I seemed to be able to get to him now. Before, he pretty much withstood anything I threw in his direction, stubbornly keeping his cool no matter how much I provoked him. Well, almost. And now, a simple hissed question obviously made the hackles on his back rise.

I chuckled quietly to myself. Perhaps he was finally getting sick of me.

My chuckling came to an abrupt stop when a Lian slipped an arm around me, pulling my back flush up against his chest.

"What the-?"

"Shut up and sleep" he growled in my ear.

But of course I didn't give in. I violently tried worming out of his grasp, but he held my torso and arms down with his arm, slipping one of his legs in between mine to press my functioning one down into the mattress. My useless, broken, leg rested on top of his, naturally refusing to cooperate. I was completely trapped and felt the anger inside of me building.

"What are you doing?" I repeated.

"You chased away my fiancée. It's only right you take her place."

"_What?_" I cried.

"You heard me" he growled. "I'm tired of being Mr Nice Guy." As he spoke the last words, his hands slipped in under the hem of my shirt, his warm fingers slowly gliding over my stomach.

I froze, fear gripping me. Was this it? Had I finally crossed the line? Was Lian going to release the monster lurking inside of him too?

"What are you gonna do? Rape me?" I wanted my voice to be mad and strong, but it came out weak and scared.

He didn't respond, instead he leaned in and let his lips trail over my neck, placing soft kisses over the sore spots Fiona had created there. His mouth moved higher up, gliding up my jaw until it reached my ear.

"Maybe" his warm breath murmured in my ear.

My eyes widened at his response and I went rigid as a plank. That was until his lips left my ear to tease the skin right beneath my earlobe. Oh no, not that spot.

A shiver went down my spine and my eyes closed involuntarily. I could feel his lips form a smile against my neck.

"Liking it?" he asked.

"I'm repulsed" I lied, only to be cut off when his lips once again touched that sensitive spot.

"Well, I'm sure I can make you change your mind."

My body once again went stiff at his suggestive words and the anger found its way back into my body.

"I hate you" I said fury seeping into my voice.

And then his lips disappeared from my neck and the hand beneath my shirt swiftly left my skin. At first I didn't recognize the sound coming from his lips, but when I did, fury consumed me. He was laughing.

"You idiot" I hissed, realizing that he was only making fun of me.

"You're so fun to tease" he managed to get out.

"That's so mean. I seriously thought you'd gone over to the dark side."

"Have a little faith." He sighed, his laughter dying down. "I told you, I'd never do something like that to you."

"But tricking me into believing that you're gonna rape me, is completely fine?"

"A little respect never hurt."

"Respect and fear are two very different things" I grumbled.

He sighed once again.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." He kissed my temple. "Now sleep."

I patiently waited for him to move away and give me some room, but his body stayed where it was, spooning me.

"Well, if you're not gonna rape me, than can you please let me go?" I hissed quietly.

"Holding you in my arms while you sleep hardly count as rape" he said calmly.

"Let. Go" I growled.

"Nope." His light, easy tone startled and angered me further at the same time.

"I hate you" I told him again.

"Good to know. Now go to sleep, you can insult me tomorrow instead."

And despite myself, that was exactly what I did – fall asleep that is. Once I'd given up, I couldn't help but notice that the warmth of his body was comforting, nice even. And though I didn't want to admit it to myself, it did feel kind of nice to fall asleep, safe and warm, in Lian's arms.


	10. Such A Beautiful Disaster

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**Such a beautiful disaster**

_(Kelly Clarkson)_

I was starting to get frustrated. _Really_ frustrated, that is.

A week had passed since Fiona had decided to snap and for every day that passed, I just got more and more infuriated. Lian treated me with the same kindness and amusement as ever and hadn't changed one bit – well, expect for that he now refused to let me fall asleep until I'd accepted his arms around me. I was willing to admit that under different circumstances, this all would've been nice; the attention, the kindness, the warmth of someone next to me in bed. But at the moment I wasn't enjoying it; I was loathing it.

I had a responsibility back home. My mother could be dead by now, simply because of the vampire's stupid, irresponsible actions. _Dead_. And though there wasn't much I could do at the moment, broken leg and all, I would rather die slowly and painfully than accept defeat. My mother needed me; I would not be able to live with myself, knowing that I hadn't done everything in my power to run back to her. Hell, I probably wouldn't even be able to live with myself if I _did_ do everything in my power, but didn't succeed. She meant the world to me.

So when Lian came strolling into my room on the eight day, all friendliness and gratitude I'd ever felt towards the bloodsucker, was completely gone. I needed to go home.

Lian had managed to get a hold of a pair of crutches for me when he realized that I wouldn't let him help me pee. Most of the time, though, I was pretty much too worn-out – the fever and concussion had been taking its toll on me – to do anything else than stumble awkwardly to the toilet and back. So the look of surprise on his face when he entered the room, finding me standing on opposite side of the room – the energy returned to my body – made me smirk smugly. He obviously didn't expect me to recover quite so quickly.

"Where are you going, love?" he asked me, smiling as he took in my skinny form and still-in-plaster leg.

My smirk widened. "Home."

He chuckled. "Not bloody likely."

"Do you remember that day in the library, Lian?" I asked in a dangerously sweet voice.

He only nodded, pressing his lips tightly together not to laugh. He wouldn't be wearing that amused facial expression for much longer.

"That was just a brief, and a very brief, warm-up, _love_" I told him.

He raised his eyebrows cockily.

"Sweetheart, I'm not afraid of you. I'm one of the most powerful vampires in the world. Why should I fear you?"

"Getting cocky now, Withlock?" I asked, moving closer to him, though not as smoothly as I would've wished, what with my awful crutches.

He only smirked.

"I think you'll find that, even though fear and fury are two different emotions, they usually result in the same outcome." It surprised me how formal I was sounding; perhaps these vampires were rubbing off on me.

"Really?" Lian asked, biting his lip to hold back another chuckle.

I didn't respond, only moved closer to him, until I was right next to him. I stood on my non-broken toes, tilting my head up to whisper in his ear.

"Really." I told him. He held completely still, almost as if he was afraid to move. I took a deep breath and then...I screamed.

"What the _hell_?" He threw himself away from me, covering his right ear as he started at me in disbelief. "What the hell was _that_ for?"

I grinned widely at his upset face. "Are you going to let me go now?"

"Of course not" he said, confusion clouding his face.

"Then that's my new tactic." I smiled widely at him, my eyes twinkling with mischief.

"What, you're going to scream in my ear whenever I get close to you?" He stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. Perhaps I had, coming up with such an immature way of pissing him off.

My grin widened anyhow. "Not just when you're close to me." I told him. "And not just in _your_ ear."

He frowned at me, looking even more bewildered, if possible.

"I'm gonna be screaming" I told him, folding my arms over my chest. "_A lot_" I added.

He continued to stare at me.

"So unless you let me go _right now_, your ears are probably going to be bleeding by tomorrow morning. And everyone else's for that matter."

His eyes remained wide and shocked for another few seconds, and I smirked, letting the message sink in. But the reaction I got then, didn't exactly live up to my expectations.

He laughed. Loud and clear, he guffawed away, clutching his stomach. My smug expression turned into a scowl. How stupid was this vampire? He sure as hell wouldn't be laughing by tomorrow.

"God, you're funny" he managed to get out between laughs.

My scowl deepened. "You _idiot_" I hissed. "I'm not joking."

"You seriously think I won't be able to shut you up?" he asked.

"What are you gonna do? Gag me?" I drawled.

"I think I know a few more effective ways of shutting you up." I knew exactly what he was referring to when he smirked at me.

I smirked right back. "We'll see."

And then I screamed. And no matter what Lian did, I refused to stop.

It went on for almost precisely three days.

On the first day, Lian pretty much tried everything; clasping a hand over my mouth – I was pretty impressed with myself when I still managed to get out a pretty loud wail below his palm – yelling, pleading, threatening. He even went as far as kissing that sensitive spot on my neck several times, but I refused to stop. Naturally I took breaks, lulling him into believing that I'd given up. I never did though. After pausing for an hour or two – letting my increasingly soar, aching throat rest – I picked up the screaming again, causing him to come storming back into the room, trying new methods of shutting me up. When he tried sleeping in the same bed as me that night, my screams got even louder. He left after mere minutes, grumbling under his breath.

On the second day, more people became involved. During one of my shrieking attacks, Marco came storming in, fangs showing and black eyes glowing with fury.

"_Shut up!_" he yelled, stalking towards me while pointing a finger in my direction.

Lian, who was currently seated on the bed, hiding his face in his hands, looked up when his brother entered. He smoothly stepped in, in front of him, stopping his advance. He held up his hands in a peaceful sign.

"Marco, don't."

"She needs to _shut the hell up_!" he shouted. If he was human, I bet his face would've turned a bright red.

"Just get out of the house if you can't stand it" Lian tried.

Marco stared at his brother in disbelief.

"You think I'm going to let her turn me out of my own house" he growled.

"What else is there?" Lian asked, exasperated.

At that moment I'd lost my breath and I closed my eyes, taking in the air deeply. Lian glanced back at me, his troubled face looking relieved.

"There, she stopped."

Marco glared at me for a few seconds, before turning on his heel, stalking off to leave the room. Just as he swung the door open, I parted my lips and cried out again. It was insane how much I enjoyed annoying these vamps.

He swiftly turned around in the doorway, getting back into the room with a murderous expression on his face.

"I'll _make_ her stop" he growled.

"No, you won't" Lian hissed, stepping in between Marco and me once again. I couldn't see his facial expression, but imagined that it looked similar to the one he'd had when he growled at Fiona, because his dark haired brother actually stopped. He didn't seem especially frightened though.

"That human is driving everybody _mad_. Even the staff is threatening to leave. She's even succeeding in driving _me_ crazy. Give her another sedative shot, do _something_. Make her stop, or I swear to God, I don't know what I'll do" Marco said. It was amazing to see that the otherwise cold vampire actually could show emotions. So when his face turned exasperated and even slightly panicky, I couldn't help but break off mid-scream, the sound turning into laughter instead.

"This is _not _funny" he spat, turning his burning gaze to me. I only continued to laugh, watching the pissed vampire getting even more furious.

"We're out of those shots" Lian muttered. "And believe me, I've tried everything else."

"Really, _everything_?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a meaning behind his words.

"I wouldn't" Lian growled. Marco seemed unaffected by the threat in his brother's tone.

"Then at least gag her. That's the least you can do!" My laughter quieted down to chuckles as I watched the two vampires, fascinated. I had never seen Marco looking so desperate, neither had I really seen Lian looking so cool compared to the dark haired vampire. The way I'd interpreted it, Lian usually depended on his ice cold brother's opinions, obviously ranked below him. But right now, Lian didn't seem so weak.

He folded his arms over his chest, refusing to answer Marco's question.

"Do you think Sloan is going to accept this? When he returns tonight, he won't let this go. He won't leave, like me. He'll make her shut up, one way or the other. And I will definitely not be here to help you when he decides to take her down."

"I'll deal with him then."

"You don't stand a chance. And you know it" Marco growled, anger seeping into his features again.

"Then I guess I'm going down fighting." Lian's tone was ice cold, creping me out. It was as if the two brothers had switched places; Marco being the slightly hysterical one, and Lian being completely emotionless.

"Argh! You _idiot_!" Marco hissed, storming out of the room and slamming the door shut on his way out.

I started at the door, fear gripping me for once. Would Sloan really kill me?

Lian chuckled at my suddenly confused facial expression. The sound was strained and didn't fit his tired looking face.

"Marco's staying. Trust me."

I stared at him for a moment. And then I opened my mouth and let out another scream. Lian placed two fingers to his forehead, massaging it slightly.

"_Why_ did I just tell you that?" he asked himself quietly.

I almost stopped screaming, only to let out a laugh.

* * *

Several hours later, I could hear bumping and growling coming from the hallway. I tensed, but left my mouth open, letting out screams at even intervals. The door was suddenly slung open and in the doorway stood Sloan, disheveled and red eyes glowing with fury. Boy, was he pissed.

"You. Need to. Shut. _UP_!" he snarled through clenched teeth.

Lian suddenly came storming in, placing himself in front of Sloan, growling menacingly.

"_Get out_!" he hissed, pushing at his chest.

"Make her shut her fucking mouth and I will!" he yelled.

I took a good look at the both of them, only now noticing that both of their shirts were ripped.

Lian growled loudly and threateningly at Sloan's words, pushing at his chest once again.

"Get out!" he repeated.

This time Sloan returned the push, making Lian stumble back a few steps. Fear gripped me, and I shut my mouth quickly. No one noticed my sudden silence; the two vampires seemed too busy glaring at each other, growling wordlessly.

Just as Sloan crouched down, moving forward, something grabbed him from behind, hauling him out the room. A surprised yelp left his lips, before the sound changed into a dangerous snarl.

"Let go, Marco" Sloan hissed.

I never got to see the dark haired bloodsucker – he remained behind the wall of the hallway – put something pulled Sloan even further away from the door, and with an angry cry he disappeared out of sight. Lian stepped forward, kicking the door shut. He hid his face in his hands, growling softly at nothing. I watched him, stunned.

He soon turned to look at me, and I held back a gasp. He looked horrible; clothes torn, hair disheveled and face exhausted. He stared at me with grey eyes, silently asking me if I was done screaming.

I wasn't.

When I started again, he groaned loudly, swiftly disappearing out the door and slamming it shut with a loud bam.

That night, I decided to bring it up a notch, since Lian absolutely refused to loose his cool. My throat was pretty much burning from all the screaming, and it was hard to force out a whisper, let alone a shriek. But I did it anyway. The pain helped me, making me wake up every other hour. I took the opportunity to scream then, hopefully making everyone in the household – or at least Lian – wake up with a start.

Disappointment flooded through me though, when Lian didn't come bursting into my room. He most likely slept like a log. After three tries, I gave up, letting sleep overtake me completely.

On the third day, I woke up to a throat that felt as if it'd been stabbed repeatedly. It pretty much wanted to shut my mouth and never open it again, but how sad wouldn't I be if I gave up after only two days? I was stronger than that.

So after forcing the breakfast down my throat, I took up the screaming again. _God_, it hurt. The time span between my breaks became shorter, but with those I at least managed to keep it up until noon. And just as I thought I wouldn't be able to force another sound out, Lian burst in through the door.

His facial expression almost made me go silent. He had deep, dark circles under his lovely eyes, which looked desperate and pretty much ready to kill someone. His face was contorted in a scowl and he was baring his fangs. Altogether, he pretty much looked terrifying.

He was breathing heavily as he entered the room, slamming the shut door.

"_Enough!_" he snarled.

His furious face only encouraged me, now knowing that I was finally getting to him. I took in a deep breath before screaming even louder.

Lian stalked over to me – looking like a predator out to kills its prey – before stopping to tower over me.

"My brothers are beyond furious and had to leave the mansion. My staff is abandoning the building. I haven't slept for almost 48 hours. My ears won't stop ringing. And it's all. Because of. _You_" he spat.

I broke off to answer him.

"Then let. Me. Go." I scowled at him, taking in big gulps of air.

"No" he growled, baring his fangs once again.

I picked up the screaming again. Lian covered his ears, flinching.

"_Stop that!_" he yelled.

I continued.

He took a step closer, grabbing my arms and shaking me. I drew in a new gulp of air before starting again.

Lian shook me harder. "I can't take it any more, dammit! _Stop_!"

When I still refused to listen, he leaned in, pressing his fangs to my neck. His breath against my skin tickled, but that was the only thing my mind noted. I felt no fear. He was bluffing, I was sure of it.

"Stop it" he growled, his voice quiet and dangerous. He was _so _bluffing. "Right. Now."

I continued, almost smiling, because I knew I'd won. Lian was bluffing. Bluffing, bluffing, bluff-

He bit me.

I never had the chance to really feel what his teeth breaking through my skin felt like. It stung, for a millisecond, but he pulled away immediately. My scream broke off into a shocked gasp, my knees buckling beneath me. He caught me around the waist with one arm, pressing his other hand to my neck.

"Quiet" he said calmly. There was a new authority in his voice. My parted lips immediately closed.

I stared at him in complete and utter shock, the feeling of betrayal seeping through my veins. How could he?

I didn't know why I felt so disappointed or shocked even. He was a vampire, a predator. It was in his nature to attack, bite and dominate. Perhaps I'd started believing in his lies; perhaps I really, truly was immature and naive. This man was a monster.

I took a stumbling step back out of his arm, leaning heavily on my crutches, which wouldn't cooperate. His arm loosened, letting me go as he gazed at me with something similar to regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry" he murmured.

I kept staring at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry" he repeated, fiercer this time. The regret seemed to swim out of his eyes, twisting his features.

I continued to back away, shaking my head in disbelief. Something in my chest hurt _so_ bad it felt as if it was about to burst. I clasped a hand over my heart, bending forward slightly as I kept moving away from him. My breathing started coming out faster and my brain had put a siren on, shouting "panic attack, panic attack". Lian stepped after me, holding his hands out as if he wanted to take me in his arms.

"Don't touch me" I whispered, my voice hoarse and broken after the strain that had been put on it during the past three days.

This time, my words were so different from the other times I'd said them. Because this time, I really meant it. If he touched me now, I would break.

Lian started at my words, a look of hurt crossing over his features.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered again.

He tried meeting my eyes, but I removed my gaze from his, glancing down at my feet. I could hear him let out a trembling breath, before quietly leaving the room.

When he'd left, I fell down on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest. I let out quick, wheezing breaths through my lips, trying to still my shivering body.

It took me a while to understand that I was crying; it had been so long since last time. Self pity had never been my thing. I accepted what I'd been given and learned to deal with whatever came in my path. Life never gave you something you couldn't handle. Or so I'd thought...

But right at that moment, I knew this was an obstacle I surely would not be able to handle.

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**

There, a little drama! Even Bea has her moments of doubt, as you'll see in the next chapter.

**And an update within a week! Yeay me! However, this meant that I kinda forced myself to write this chapter, so it's short and pretty much written without enthusiasm. But at least it's done and uploaded.**

**If you're wondering why Lian didn't force her into silence a lot earlier – or with other, harsher methods – you'll find out soon enough.**

**And thank you so much for the absolutely awesome reviews! I love them!**

**PLEASE, don't stop giving me feedback. It helps me tons! It would be awesome if I could reach 180 reviews before I published the next chappie.**

**You're the best! **


	11. I Give Up

**I know there's been some confusion about the whole biting thingy, considering what Bea tells Aurelia in SiM. As some of you already guessed, being bitten and being fed from are not the same thing.**

**Here's the new chapter! I managed to update within a weak again, go me. **

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**I give up**

_(Jason Walker)_

I'd finally decided to start waving my white flag.

That bite had been a wake-up call and I spent the following hours turning the situation round and round in my little head, desperately trying to find a way out of the mess I'd – well, partly I'd – gotten myself into.

I found none. And that conclusion was pretty disturbing.

There was no use in fighting, because no matter what I did, I couldn't win. I'd never been one for hating people – I merely disliked a few – but at the moment I hated Lian with a passion so strong I thought it might make me blow up. I wouldn't have minded the blowing up part that much. I'd had enough of the whole situation. Of trusting someone that definitely shouldn't be trusted. Of being played with. Of being lied to. Of being betrayed. Of being abused, in a way – though that might be me being a bit too melodramatic. I was so damn sick of it all.

So I gave up. I decided to start waving my pathetic, white flag. Because what else was there left to do?

I barely slept at all that night, having nightmares including both vampires and my mother. Guilt gripped me when I saw her face, knowing that I'd let her down. Guilt so strong it made it hard for me to breathe. I should've been smarter, should've known that stealing from the Withlock mansion was an idiotic idea.

But I hadn't been smarter, I hadn't known any better. So what was the use in drowning in 'what if's'? I'd brought it all on myself. And now I had to take the punishment whoever ruled this freakish world, had prepared for me. A punishment including never-ending guilt, anguish and most likely death – perhaps slavery, if Lian decided to continue acting like his true, demonic self.

The sun had barely risen when the door to my room opened the next morning. I lied curled into a tight ball under the thick covers, hugging my legs and staring out into nothing with empty eyes.

"Hey?"

I closed my eyes when I heard his voice, tensing and wincing slightly. I felt so breakable.

A hand was placed on my shoulder as Lian repeated the word. I lay frozen, not responding.

I could hear him move to stand on the other side of the bed, the way I was facing. I kept my eyes closed, refusing to so much as look at him.

"Could you please just listen for a moment?" His voice was soft, sweet, made to comfort me. But I wasn't that stupid anymore.

I remained still.

"Please?" He sighed when I didn't open my eyes. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. You have no idea of how much I regret what I did. I panicked. That wasn't me, at all. Everything was so chaotic and I just simply panicked. I know that's now an excuse, but it's an explanation. I never meant to hurt you. Neither your body nor your feelings."

He got no response from me.

"Please, forgive me. I'll do anything. Just please, love. At least look at me."

I was definitely not forgiving him, but it was harder than I thought to resist his pleading. I slowly opened my eyes slightly, peering at him. His face looked truly apologetic, slightly desperate even.

I closed my eyes again. His facial expression had only made me even more determined. He was too good an actor; I couldn't trust him.

He surprised me by grabbing a hold of my hands; his warm, strong ones holding my weak ones.

"What can I do to make you forgive me? Tell me, and I'll do it." He sounded so desperate.

"Let me go" I whispered hoarsely, already knowing the answer.

"I can't do that" he replied, sounding frustrated.

I didn't even bother asking why he couldn't. What ulterior motive did he actually have for keeping me? I guess I'd never know. But I could live with that – or rather, die with that.

I successfully removed my hands from his and snuggled deeper into the mattress, deciding that our encounter had come to an end.

Lian obviously thought differently. He didn't speak, but I could feel the bed shift as he climbed onto it. He lied down right behind me, curving his body around mine. He kept his hands to himself though.

I tensed once again, not expecting the intimacy. And also getting really mad at myself. I shouldn't feel comforted by the warmth radiating off of his body. I shouldn't want to press my back even closer to his solid chest. I shouldn't miss the arms holding me to him. I really _shouldn't_.

But I did; I wasn't going to lie to myself. I wanted Lian's secure embrace, and that was probably the worst thing I could ever long for.

So what did I do? I braced myself and scooted away from his comforting body, curling myself into an even tighter ball further away from him.

He didn't say anything, but after a few minutes I felt him get up and leave. I was once again left in my own little world of hopelessness and I'd never felt so alone in my entire life.

* * *

For three days I refused to eat, refused to listen and refused to speak. I continued to hide under the covers, my increasingly stiff body curled into a tight ball. I continued to stare into nothingness, feeling oddly empty. I continued to pretend like the rest of the world wasn't there. And I continued to feel nothing like myself.

It was creepy, the feeling of indifference that eventually came to enfold me. The colors disappeared, and so did the sounds and the smells. Everything became a grey, monotone blur, moving around me as I stayed in my safe nest. For a moment, I wondered if this was what Marco always felt like. I could feel my face growing dead and cold after a while, most likely looking like a human, female version of his. I flinched at the thought, but as much as the image disgusted me, it didn't startle me enough to bring me out of my depression.

Lian was always there, touching me, talking to me. It made the whole thing so much harder than it had to be. I loathed the man, _so_ damn much. But my body didn't. It adored him in a way that didn't come close to anything I'd ever felt before. It reacted to the sweet, beautiful apologies and comforting touches he brought me, causing my heartbeat to quicken or a tremble to go down my spine, when all my _mind _really wanted to do was lash out at the egoistic son of a bitch.

I never – intentionally – responded to him and soon he learned to keep his tempting hands to himself and grew quiet. Mostly he just sat in a chair opposite of where I lay, gazing at me with furrowed eyebrows. His frown deepened with every day that passed.

The vampire really did have the patience of a saint. Or perhaps he had nothing better to do but sit and stare worriedly at me all day. In the beginning, I found his piercing gaze uncomfortable, but after three days of him never taking his eyes off of me, I'd learned not to squirm under his scrutinizing stare. I even got used to it.

Which is why I started when he – on the third morning – suddenly let out a deep sigh and tore his eyes away from my body. He got up swiftly, leaving the room without a word. I continued to gaze at the door for minutes after it closed.

Lian did not return.

Hours later, I vaguely noticed that the light outside had disappeared and the night had arrived. The sky was beautiful; twinkling, little stars gazed down at me from the black vault of heaven. I gazed at them distractedly, wondering how long it would be until I died. How long it would be until I joined those stars up there.

It took all of my self control not to turn around when I heard the lock click, followed by the sound of the door swinging open. I wanted to smile, knowing that Lian had returned to my side. The thought of him next to me really shouldn't be comforting; I hated the man. Perhaps I just didn't want to die alone. Yeah, that was it. I just didn't like feeling lonely. I closed my eyes, willing myself to believe that was the only reason I'd wanted Lian to return.

"You can open your eyes, little fox. I already know you're awake."

I completely froze when I heard the cold voice of Lian's brother. I really hadn't been expecting this.

My eyes slowly opened. I found myself glancing up at the tall, dark shape of Marco. He sat down gracefully, using the chair Lian had pretty much lived in during the past three days. I didn't like it, Marco taking Lian's spot.

"Now, why are you keeping up this ridiculous behavior?" he asked, irritation seeping into his voice. I closed my eyes again. If he was here to scold me, I wasn't interested.

"Look at me" he snapped.

I didn't.

"Shut up" I muttered.

A silence followed. I hoped he was shocked by my words, not gathering strength for a yelling session. Or worse, preparing to bite me.

When he spoke again, his voice was calm.

"You don't know how much you're hurting him, little human" he murmured, his voice smooth enough to almost blend in with the night. "It's absolutely crazy how much he worries about you. It's beyond the boundaries of sane."

I opened my eyes again to look at the dark haired vampire. He had shifted the chair, so that I found myself looking at his profile rather than straight into his face. He was glancing out into the night as he spoke, completely oblivious to me.

"You chased everyone away. Vanessa's furious at him. Sloan has left too. And most importantly; he lost Fiona."

I stared at him as he frowned and a very obvious thing occurred to me when he said Fiona's name. The warmth and respect in that one word made me understand that she had meant something to Marco too. He had obviously not regarded her as a lover, but perhaps as a sister or a friend.

"You like her" I murmured in realization.

"She was good for him" he stated calmly. "Way better than you will ever be. She was young, yes. But she was kind and caring and she loved him. Unlike _you_." The last two words were bitter.

"The ironic part is that my brother's too good for you. _Way_ to good for you. And yet _you're_ the one pushing _him _away" he chuckled quietly; a sound lacking humor. "You have no idea of what you're missing. He could give you something no one else could. And yet, here you are, refusing him just because you feel like being stubborn." He snorted.

It shocked me how talk active he was being. The surprise almost made me forget to listen to his words. It almost made me forget that the bloodsucker was insulting me. But just almost.

"I just want to go home" I whispered, feeling tired.

"Well, that's obviously not a possibility right now" Marco responded truthfully.

"Then there's nothing left for me to say" I murmured, closing my eyes.

Silence.

"You're impossible." His words weren't a growl, but a sigh.

I waited for him to get up and leave, but he didn't.

"Are you leaving?" I asked quietly.

"I promised to babysit you" he muttered.

I slowly opened my eyes, peeking at him from under the covers. He was still gazing out into the night with a slightly troubled expression on his face. No matter how much the vampire annoyed – and frankly scared – me, I sort of respected him in a weird way. Or at least, I respected the way he looked out for his family. He was like the big brother I'd always wished for when I was younger; when life got too tough and taking care of my mother just became too much. I'd always longed for an older sibling then. Someone who would look out for me and take the burden off of my shoulders, at least for just a little while.

I closed my eyes again, flinching internally when I realized my slip. I _hated_ this, the way I felt. Hated that I was so ready to respect Marco, simply because he helped Lian.

I was supposed to detest Lian, I really was. He was killing my mother; he was killing _me_. He was an untrustworthy leech who lately acted bipolar. But I just couldn't find it in myself, that pitch-black, cruel hatred. It didn't exist.

But what else was there left to do? No matter how I felt about him, there was absolutely no hope left for me.

I didn't trust him. He definitely had some ulterior motive for keeping me and I wasn't going to give in and lead him straight back to my mother.

Neither could I stay here, living in oblivion. The only remaining member of my family was out there, needing me. I couldn't ignore the fact that I had a responsibility.

Sadness filled me and I pressed my eyes shut even tighter. I would _not_ cry. That would be beyond pathetic.

So instead I breathed in and out harshly, soon falling asleep with the dark haired vampire by the window, watching over me.

* * *

When I woke up the night after my talk with Marco, Lian was back in the chair, his silver gaze resting on me. He had deep circles under his eyes, his face contorted in a mask of worry.

Perhaps he had the right to feel anxious. I grew increasingly weak and slept through most of the day. My limbs were heavy and even though I'd experienced the pain coming from hunger thousands of times before, it didn't make it any more pleasant now. My stomach complained loudly several times and every time it grumbled, Lian twisted in his seat, looking as if he wanted to reach out and help, but didn't know how.

Two more days passed.

The shy rays of the morning sun was streaming in through the window when Lian suddenly got up from his seat, kneeling down in front of my side of the bed. He gently placed a hand against my cheek, trying to meet my empty eyes. His palm felt hot against my skin – a lot warmer than it should've felt. Perhaps I was turning as cold as my stare.

"Please, just look at me" he murmured.

Again, his desperate pleading was too much for me to take. I obeyed, meeting his grey gaze.

"You're killing yourself" he told me softly. "It's not worth it. _I'm_ not worth it. Please don't do this."

I felt numb when he begged. Something in my heart twisted at the desperation in his voice, but that was all I felt.

He turned slightly to grab a piece of bread from the tray on the nightstand next to me. He gently pressed it against my closed mouth.

"Please, just eat something" he pleaded.

I pressed my lips together tightly, hating the look that crossed his face when I refused to listen to him.

Lian looked away from me, staring out into nothingness. Everything seemed to stay frozen for a while and the only sound that filled the room was my breathing.

He soon turned to look at me again, but his facial expression had changed. It looked sad and slightly tortured, but not worried. This face was even worse than the one he'd worn before. Something inside of me wanted to reach out and comfort him. Do something to erase that awful facial expression.

But of course, I didn't.

Carefully, as if not to frighten me, he leaned down until his forehead touched mine. His sculpted nose brushed against my less perfect one and I closed my eyes. I could smell his sweet scent and for a moment I wondered what I was throwing away. We stayed like that for a while.

Too soon, he pulled away and my eyes opened on their own accord. He was gazing at me with a strange look on his face. He smiled a small, soft smile. It wasn't a happy one.

"You're free to go" he told my.

I frowned at him, not understanding.

"I'm letting you go" he said, firmer this time.

I just stared at him, completely baffled.

"Are you serious?" I asked after a moment. My voice sounded hoarse and awful, but at least it still worked.

Lian nodded.

Slowly, I moved the covers off of my body, pulling myself up into a sitting position.

Half an hour later I was standing in the grand hall, still dressed in clothes owned by the Withlock mansion. When I'd tried changing back into the outfit I'd worn when I first arrived, Lian had stopped me. He told me it was stupid of me to mess too much with my broken leg, but the look in his eyes indicated that he didn't particularly appreciate me being a hooker. I really couldn't care less about what he thought about my profession. I was so used to people judging me, I just brushed their questioning gazes off. Still, something inside of me stung when I thought that the whole thing might disgust him.

I was – reluctantly – holding a bag in my hands. I wasn't allowed to open it until I got home. According to Lian, it was filled with "necessities". I'd already checked it; it was completely stuffed with money. I'd tried giving it back, but Lian promptly refused. And who was I to decide what he did with his money? I felt selfish for even thinking like that, but at the same time, I hadn't forgotten what life before the Withlock mansion looked like. It would be nice to not feel like I was starving every other day.

I was standing in the doorway, hesitating. Lian stood next to me, looking at me with a face that was impossible to read. His lips were smiling slightly, but his eyes were bathing in sadness. That vampire really didn't make sense.

I awkwardly leaned against my crutches as I gazed back at him, memorizing his gorgeous eyes, his high cheekbones, his perfect lips, his shoulder-length hair, his lean body. My heart constricted as I thought about never seeing him again. Why was it so hard to leave?

Without me noticing it, he'd stepped closer until he was standing right in front of me. I tilted my head back to look into his eyes as he gently wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me to him. I did nothing to stop him.

Slowly, he started leaning in. My eyes stayed wide open and soon he was close enough for me to count his long, dark eyelashes. Close enough for him to take over all of my senses. I drew in a ragged breath as his nose brushed against mine.

And then he kissed me.

* * *

**Cliffy, wohoo! **

**Pretty, pretty please, review! And thank you so much for the ones I got.**


	12. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Nope, it's not a new chapter. It's an Author's Note. YEAY!**

**Ok, people, don't be too pissed. My teachers decided to pretty much bury me and my classmates in work so there won't be an update today because I simply didn't have the time to write. For the past week I've done _nothing_ but studied. I haven't even been to the gym for several days, which is really saying something when it comes to me.**

**I'm really gonna try to get a new chapter up in the next couple of days, and I can guarantee you that by Friday there will be a new chappy up (unless I die or something, which I'm really not planning on doing atm). **

**So, until then, please be patient.**

**/_Mandydoll_**


	13. My Burden To Bear Is Love

**Okay, new chappie! Once again, I kinda had to force myself to write it, but hopefully it didn't turn out completely awful.**

**ANSWER TO ****DAZZLINGCATCHER (for some reason I couldn't send PMs to you): Yeah, I think I'll do at least 20 chapters on this story. I'm aiming for 20-25 at least. I'm sorry, but there will be no love triangle between Lian, Marco and Bea. But if you want me to throw a little more Marco into the story, then I'll definitely try. It's mostly Bea and Lian's story, but Marco will be a big part of it. **

* * *

**My burden to bear is love**

_(Sara Bareilles)_

The kiss was unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

Lian's lips were soft as they moved with mine, but grew more urgent when I responded. When his tongue lightly touched my lower lip, a tingle went trough my entire body and I threw myself into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my hands in his silky hair. I vaguely heard clinking as my crutches dropped to the floor, but with Lian holding my tightly to his body, I definitely didn't need them.

I never wanted it to end. What had started as a farewell kiss now seemed like something else. I felt passion and I felt lust, but most importantly, I felt...love? Was that the feeling that heated my heart when Lian's fingers tangled in my hair as our lips moved together in synchronization? The emotion that loudly pumped through my veins along with my racing blood as he slowly pulled away, pecking my lips once, twice?

My mind spun as the vampire leaned his forehead against mine, staring at me with those beautiful, grey orbs of his. I felt as if I drowned in them.

This couldn't be love, could it? It was _way_ too early for that. One kiss couldn't change that much, that I knew.

But as I met Lian's gaze I knew that I'd felt _something_ tug at my heart. Something that made me want to stay in his arms and never let go. Something that made me feel pretty damn stupid for even thinking I could leave him and never long for him again. It wasn't love, I decided, but it was something. And I wasn't really ready to let go of it yet.

But what other choice did I have?

I could see Lian watching me, probably following the confused inner monologue through my eyes. I'd never been very good at concealing stuff.

"Are you still leaving me?" Lian asked, his voice huskier than before. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"Why do you want me to stay?" I asked breathily.

Lian chuckled slightly, making his breath wash over my face. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in his sweet scent.

"Did that kiss not prove anything to you?" he asked.

I gazed at him in confusion. "You don't even know me. And you definitely didn't know me the day you decided to keep me hostage."

He smiled slightly. "Sometimes you have to go with instinct. And sometimes you just _know_."

I shook my head at him, pulling away slightly, though I didn't leave his embrace.

"You're crazy" I declared.

"Crazy about you" he murmured.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "Really? You're gonna be that cheesy?"

He just smirked.

We started at each other for a while and I felt more torn than ever. It was easy to forget about cautiousness and obligations with his arms wrapped around me, and I had a hard time focusing.

Lian tilted his head to one side, obviously trying to follow my train of thought once again. He caught a loose strand of my hair, tucking it back behind my ear before letting the hand he'd used come to cup my chin.

"Can't we just start over? No suspicion from your side, no compulsion from mine."

I gazed at him in doubt.

He hugged me closer. "You've got nothing to loose" he whispered.

I closed my eyes for a moment, affected by his proximity, before gazing back at him with accusation in my eyes.

"This could all be a trap. I have to go back home, and if I let you go with me, you could hurt my-" I caught myself before i slipped. "You could hurt people." I finished instead.

He frowned at my words.

"You do realize that if I was really out to harm your family or friends, I could just have someone follow you when I let you return on your own?"

I frowned back at him, realizing that he was right. And that it was stupid of me to not have thought of that.

I also realized that I had absolutely nothing left to loose anymore. If I died, so did my mother. If I stayed, my mother still wouldn't survive. And if I took Lian to her...well, I still didn't know what would happen then.

"Okay" I whispered, feeling nervous as I realized what that word meant. It would open up an incredible amount of new possibilities – all including Lian.

The smile Lian gave me back was enough to warm my heart and melt it.

He pulled his arms away and took a step back from me, before offering me his right hand instead. I took it with a small smile on my lips.

"Lian Withlock" he said casually.

I bit my lip, before shaking his hand. "Beatrice Thartsen."

I got another beautiful, bright smile in response and I couldn't help but grin back. I felt oddly excited and nervous at the same time, like a kid on Christmas day.

"Beatrice" he said, seeming as if he was testing the name.

"Bea for short" I explained

Lian tugged at the hand he was holding and pulled me up against his body once again, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned me head against his chest, sighing quietly.

"Well, _Bea_" – a tremble went down my spine when he said my name – "I believe it is time I take you home."

I pulled back a little to look at his face, when I heard a loud _bam_ behind me. I whipped my head around swiftly, only to find a big number of the staff standing further down the hall. They were all looking at us with small smiles on their faces, looking pretty much ready to burst into "aw"s. I felt as if I was an actress in a really bad romantic comedy, and yet I couldn't _not_ smile.

Marco was standing at the staircase, leaning against the railing with his arms folded over his chest. His facial expression was impossible to read, but at least he didn't look mad. He wasn't looking at me, but the person holding me. I kept watching as a smirk suddenly appeared on his face, before he bowed his head slowly and turned to continue up the stairs. All of a sudden, the staff seemed to be in a big hurry, trying to get back in the door they were all surrounding. It looked hilarious.

I spun back to face Lian, smiling slightly.

"I believe it is" I murmured.

I was probably dreaming. I was having a really crazy, wonderful, good old dream. That was it. There was no way I was calmly sitting in a carriage, with Lian's arm around my shoulder, ten minutes away from my mother. I had been so focused on getting back to her, that I'd completely forgotten about the fact that she'd lived alone for more than a month. She could be dead.

At the moment I was putting my faith in Mrs Godrics. Our neighbor was lonely – only ever getting company when her son came home to visit – and surely she wouldn't be able to stay away from our little house for too long. I was just hoping that she'd help my mother out if she found her alone. Mrs Godrics wasn't exactly well off, but she had more money than us – what with her son, Trevor, having a decent job – and I was hoping that she'd be kind enough to provide my mother with some food and help. That was, if she even noticed that something at our place was wrong.

Fear gripped me and I had a hard time holding still as we got closer to my home. Lian seemed to notice, but he said nothing; he only kissed me on top of the head and pulled me closer.

I looked out the window to see the trees disappearing, the buildings of the village I'd grown up in, taking their place. The further we went, the dirtier the streets got and the smaller the houses were.

"You can stop here!" I called to the driver.

I got out on shaky legs, looking around. It all felt so surreal and far away, yet it felt as if I'd never left. It all looked exactly the same.

A thought crossed my mind as I gazed at the grime on the walls. I'd always just accepted that life was the way it was. I was never much for looking back at happier times and letting that anger or upset me. They were good memories, but that was all they were. Life was different now; I never liked feeling bitter. Never had I really thought of that, that grime was there because of the vampires. That it was their fault. The thought had just never crossed my mind – not until now.

I quickly averted my gaze from the spot on the wall. No, I wouldn't let stuff like that sneak its way into my mind and color the way I saw the world. I wouldn't. That would rip away the optimism I'd always fought to hold on to. So I just _wouldn't_.

I felt Lian grab my hand and I squeezed his, starting to walk without glancing back at him. He said nothing as I towed him along, taking him with me into the maze of narrow streets and minimal houses.

My heart beat faster with every step I took and I fought to breathe steadily. I was scared. Really, _really_ scared. I had no idea of what I was about to find in my home; a corpse or a live, happy-but-delusional mother?

I stopped in front of my house, gazing up at it. It looked just like it always had; the once white color was still faded and brownish¨, and the mailbox with nr 47 painted on it, still hung slantingly.

"This is it" I murmured.

Letting go of Lian's hand I stalked forward, fumbling around for the spare key in the pot next to the door. My fingers were trembling violently as I fought – with two hands – to put the key in the lock, twisting and forcing the handle down.

The lights were off and I squinted into the dark, narrow hallway. Cautiously I stepped inside.

"Mother?" I called, searching for the switch.

My nostrils were insulted by an awful stench and I coughed, trying to hold my breath and breathe calmly at the same time. It was not the easiest thing to do.

Something scrambled in the kitchen.

I hurried there, squinting into the dark room. The blinds were down and it was harder than it should be to see. I needed my glasses. I desperately searched for the light switch.

"Mother?" I asked again.

"Hrrm..."

The sound was coming from behind the counter. Finally, my fumbling fingers found the right spot, but even though I pushed at the switch, the lights refused to go on. Frowning, I continued to navigate through the room, slowly making my way over to the window. A few seconds later I'd managed to get the blinds up.

I pressed my lips tightly together at the sight that met me, wanting to close my eyes and pretend I'd never seen it.

My mother was lying on the floor, her brown hair tangled and sticky with some gooey stuff, which also covered a large part of her face. It took me a second to realize that it was her own vomit. The stench seemed to intensify, now that I saw where it was coming from.

I rushed to her side, kneeling down next to her.

"Mother?" I cried, wrapping my arm around her shoulder to tilt her upper body up. "Mum? Please answer me."

I shook her shoulders, desperately waiting for her closed eyes to open. She was breathing, that much I could tell, but other than that and the weird sound I'd heard before, she looked as good as dead.

Slowly, her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened. I waited for her to say something, staring down at her face with wide eyes. She lifted a trembling hand up to my face, placing it against my cheek. Her skin was way colder than it should be.

"My little star" she murmured, her voice hoarse.

I was suddenly filled with an all-consuming rage. And it was all directed at myself. How could I have done this? How could I have taken so long? I should've tried harder and I shouldn't have given up until I succeeded.

I carefully brushed a few strands of sticky hair from her face, trying to hold myself together; I was trembling hard from the anger.

All of a sudden there was a gasp in the doorway. I looked up, only to find Lian standing there, looking completely baffled. I frowned at him, not wanting him to see my mother in this state.

"I had no idea" he whispered.

I averted my gaze from his shocked face, looking down at my mother again. She seemed to have a hard time keeping her eyes open. I patted her cheek lightly, trying to make her stay conscious.

"Mother? You need to stay awake." My voice trembled.

Suddenly, Lian was kneeling next to me.

"Go. Away" I hissed, not even wanting to look at him. I didn't need his pity or care. And I didn't want to humiliate my mother even further. Even though she didn't mind now – mentally deranged and all – she would've been extremely embarrassed if she'd been her normal, old self.

"Don't be silly" Lian murmured.

He got up swiftly and started rummaging around. I decided to ignore him, turning my attention back to my mother. Her eyelids had closed again.

"No, mother. Come on. Just stay awake for a little longer" I pleaded.

"Here" Lian handed me a glass of water, stepping back when I ripped it from his hand, giving him a poisonous glare. He seemed to be good at catching up with my mood swings – better than I was.

After my mother had gotten some water into her body and I'd washed away the vomit¨, she seemed at least a little bit better. Lian stayed in the background, keeping his mouth shut. I was glad he did; I wasn't too sure I'd be able to keep myself from hitting him if he interfered. The anger refused to go away.

As I helped my mother into new clothes, I tried getting some answers from her.

"What happened after I left?" I asked her casually.

"You left?" she asked.

I sighed quietly. She was way too kind for her own good. Any other mother would've scolded me, perhaps even hated me for leaving them. She didn't; she didn't even know I'd ever left.

"Who's been feeding you during the last couple of weeks?" I asked instead.

"Oh, well, Mrs Godrics dropped by a couple of times. She always brought food." My mother frowned. "But her son came here a few days ago and-"

"Trevor came back?" I asked, straightening up from where I was crouching next to the cupboard.

I still remembered the neighbor boy. Trevor was only two years older than me and we'd been close friends ever since I was a kid. I'd missed him when he moved away to work.

My mother nodded. "Yes, and he took Mrs Godrics away. She going to live with him now instead. I think the boy's still here, packing up her things."

I frowned. "How long ago was that?"

"Was what, dear?"

"When did he take Mrs Godrics back to his place?"

"A few days ago, I guess. I don't really remember. Why?"

"When was the last time you ate, mother?" I knelt down in front of the bed she was seated on, taking her hands in mine.

"Oh, I ate the day before yesterday." She smiled, patting my head kindly. "You worry too much."

"What did you eat?"

"I found some crackers in the kitchen cupboard." She frowned. "I think there was something wrong with them though. It looked as if something was crawling inside of them. And they tasted funny." She wrinkled her nose. "I think I threw them up later. I don't remember much after that."

I closed my eyes, wincing.

"Mother, those were old. You aren't supposed to eat old food, remember?"

"Oh, right." She frowned for a moment, before her lips turned up into a smile again. She patted my head. "You look so troubled. Did you forget to drink your tea?"

"I guess I did" I murmured, trying to smile back.

Half an hour later, my mother had been brought back to the carriage and had been safely put inside. I'd kept her from Lian, not wanting them to meet quite yet. Not because I was particularly afraid of my mother's reaction, or because I even expected to have to explain anything. No, it was because I knew she'd like him immediately and I wasn't quite ready to see the adoration I knew I'd find in her eyes. I could barely accept liking Lian myself; having my mother happily smiling at him would be too much. Especially since he was, partly, the reason I'd just found her lying in her own vomit.

And I also definitely did not want to see the look on her face, when she realized that he was a vampire.

I'd forced Lian to wait outside of the house while I went inside, packing up the few things I wanted to keep. I slowly felt the excitement and nervousness from before return and had to force my fingers not to tremble.

"_What the hell are you doing, you leech?_"

I started at the booming voice, loosing my balance where I knelt and plopping down on my butt. I scrambled onto my feet clumsily and hurried to the door, peeking out.

The man standing at the mailbox looked furious. His dirty blond hair was disheveled and his normally light blue eyes had gotten a few shades darker as they glared at Lian. His jaw was taught and in his hands he held a large shovel, pointed in Lian's direction; Lian, who was standing barely a yard away, casually leaning against the house, not seeming the least bit fazed.

"Trevor?" I asked carefully.

The man's head whipped to the side to stare at me, his face softening in the process.

"Bea?" he asked.

"Who else would I be, stupid?" I grinned. I skipped away from the door, running over to wrap my arms around him. He returned the bear hug half-heartedly, seeming to focus on something else.

"What's wrong?" I murmured, pulling back slightly to look at his scowling face. The arm he had around me tightened and I gasped in shock.

"Bea?" Lian asked gently.

I fought to turn slightly in Trevor's stone grip.

"It's okay" I assured Lian. "This is Trevor, my neighbor. And friend." I tried grinning at Trevor again, but he continued to glare at the vampire.

"Okay, you can let me go now" I said in a light voice, pushing slightly at Trevor's broad chest.

Trevor finally tore his gaze away from Lian, looking down at me.

"He bit you" he growled.

"Oh." I fingered at my neck, trying to find the two red dots I knew would be there. I'd forgotten about that.

When Trevor continued to hold me tightly to his chest, I frowned at his furious face, trying to push at him again.

"You can let me go now" I repeated, fiercer this time.

"You don't know what you're doing right now" he told me.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "_I_ am well aware of what I'm doing at the moment. The question is, are you?"

"Am I, what?" he grumbled.

"Trevor, you're making a fool of yourself" I murmured.

He completely ignored me, looking over my head.

"Stay away" he growled, waving the shovel in the air. I shifted in his hold, finding that Lian was moving closer. His face had grown worried.

I squirmed beneath Trevor's arm again, pushing harder at his chest. He tightened his hold even further and I let out a short moan of pain.

"Trevor, you're hurting me."

I heard a menacing growl from behind me and stumbled slightly as Trevor backed away, moving me with him.

"Don't _touch_ her" Lian hissed.

"Get away from us!" Trevor roared.

"Get your hands off of her!"

"Stay away!"

"Let. Her. _Go_."

Lian's last, hissed sentence made the arm around me constrict even tighter. I had a hard time breathing.

"Trevor-" I warned breathlessly.

Without me realizing how it happened, the arm around me disappeared and I found myself standing several feet away from Trevor, with Lian standing protectively in front of me. His shoulders tensed as he crouched down slightly.

Trevor looked shocked, but recovered quickly. He raised the shovel over his head, swinging it in Lian's direction. He blocked the blow gracefully, bringing a hand up to stop the weapon from smashing his head in. Or perhaps just stopping it because he felt like it; he was a vampire after all, his head was supposed to be thick in more ways than one.

Trevor's baffled facial expression returned.

"Trevor, listen. Lian's good-" I started.

"Can you even hear yourself?" he asked. "They've put you under a spell, Bea. These guys are monsters. Creatures like him killed our _fathers_? Did you forget that? Did _he_ make you forget that?"

"What?" Lian asked, sounding shocked.

"No, he didn't" I snarled, taking out all the anger I'd been directing towards myself before. "He's good, Trevor. Really good. So don't you dare accuse him of-"

"You're under his spell, Bea. He can make you think anything he wants you to think, do whatever he wants you to do. He's made you into a shell of the old you. You need to get away from him. I'll help you become the old you. The _real_ you. Please let me help." Trevor was pleading with me now, but that didn't make the fury leave me.

"Do I _look_ incapable of thinking right now, Trevor?" I growled, stepping out from behind Lian and walking in his direction. "Look into my eyes. Do I _look_ like I'm under a spell to you, hm?"

Trevor just stared at me, probably shocked at seeing me so pissed. I stopped to stand right in front of him, placing my hands on my hips.

"I'm _me_. I'm Bea and yes, I'm willingly going back to live with a vampire. Because frankly, I happen to _like_ said vampire. And no, it's not because of a spell, or a bite or because of any other vampire related thing. I fought the man tooth and nail before I realized that what I'd been fighting all along was not him, but my own feelings." I huffed, stopping to realize that I hadn't just made up that last part; it was true. Cheesy as hell, but true nonetheless. "So, just stop with all your protecting-me crap, because I'm really sick of all the prejudice here."

Trevor continued to stare at me in shock and amazement. I smiled slightly at his humorous facial expression. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing slightly. I pecked his cheek before stepping back.

"Goodbye, Trevor. Take care."

I stalked back to Lian's side and determinedly took his hand, towing him with me. It felt strange, knowing that I was walking away from the house I'd grown up in, the street I'd played on and the friend I'd loved. It felt so strange, but also relieving. As if a burden had been taken off of my shoulders. Of course, it had been replaced with a new one – because I really didn't believe that living with Lian would be a piece of cake; it too would bring problems – but it was a change, and at least that was something.

And as I opened the door to the carriage and climbed inside, still with Lian's hand in mine, I realized that I was about to face the first one of those problems.

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**Don't forget to REVIEW! 140 till next time would be awesome! XD**


	14. Regrets And Mistakes They're Memories Ma

**SURPRISE! I finally decided to update. Yeay, me! I've had this chapter for months, so it's definitely not the best one I've ever written. But here it is: 4524 words pour vous.**

**And I would really appreciate reviews. I desperately need them!**

* * *

**Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made**

_(Adele)_

I drew in a deep, deep breath.

"Mother" I started, clasping her hand. "This is Lian."

Lian cautiously nodded in her direction, gauging her reaction.

"It's very nice to meet you ma'am" he said. Who knew he could be so polite?

My mother scrutinized him for a moment before her face broke into a grin; huge and warm enough to replace the sun. I'd been expecting this, but the vampire hadn't. I watched Lian's relieved facial expression, trying to catch his gaze and convey a warning with my eyes; this really wasn't over yet. The ignorant bloodsucker was too caught up in my mother's happy smile to notice my stare.

"What a nice young man" my mother beamed, offering Lian her right hand. He shook it gently, grinning back.

And then she froze and so did I. The corners of her lips slowly turned down as her eyes widened. She looked Lian over again, only this time a lot slower. I watched her swallow hard as she met his grey eyes again. She dropped his hand and sat back, gazing at him with a startled look on her face.

"You're not like us" she declared.

Lian stared at her, seeming completely baffled.

I put on a fake smile, reclaiming my mother's hand.

"Well, he's a bit better off, mother." I nudged her. "Of course he's different. Could you imagine anyone from our town wearing clothes like that."

My mother ignored my rant, pursing her lips as she continued to gaze at Lian with an unreadable facial expression.

"He's like that man, Bea" she finally said in a low voice. "The man who came for your father."

Her mind seemed to grow even more distant as she stared off into space, probably not even seeing Lian anymore. I tugged at my mother's hand, making her quickly throw a glance in my direction.

"I promise you mother, he's not like him. I wouldn't do that to you. I love you, remember?"

She nodded slowly, still refusing to remove her gaze from the vampire.

"Mother" I tried again. "I love you. A lot. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I'm a smart girl, so trust me, okay?"

She stared at Lian for another minute.

And then her face softened and the laughing wrinkles around her eyes returned. She turned to me and patted my hand, smiling kindly.

"I know, dear. Don't worry so much."

I smiled slightly, as all the tension disappeared. Lian relaxed in his seat opposite of ours and his lips turned into a cute smile. For a moment my gaze lingered on his mouth, remembering what it could do to me.

"So, when's the wedding?" my mother asked calmly.

My eyes were immediately torn away from Lian's tempting lips.

"The what?" I spluttered.

"The wedding, star" she told me, patting my hand again.

I sniggered. My mother gave me a funny look.

"Oh, mother" I took a deep breath, still chuckling slightly. "There will definitely not be a wedding."

"Why not?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, why not?" Lian asked. I looked up, surprised to see him pouting at me with his arms folded over his chest. That pouting mouth distracted me for a moment. I sort of forgot what we were talking about…I sort of forgot everything as I remembered our kiss.

"Bea?" my mother asked.

"Oh, right" I muttered, scrambling around in my brain for a memory of what we'd just been discussing. "Weddings."

I looked up to see the both of them staring at me with perplexed expressions on their faces. How come I managed to look like a crazy person even when I had a real one sitting next to me?

"Mother" I started. "Lian and I aren't that close. We barely know each other. And even if we did" – I swallowed – "_love_ each other, I doubt there would be a wedding."

"How come?" My mother looked horrified.

"Yes, how come, Bea?" Lian asked, frowning at me. I gave him a confused glare. Why was _he_ acting so weird? It wasn't as if he dreamt of seeing me – an ugly human – as his bride. It wasn't that_I _didn't consider myself worthy of him; it was just that the rest of the world wouldn't agree with me – Lian included.

"_Because, _I don't want one" I grumbled, glaring daggers at Lian. What game was he playing _now_? Was he trying to win my mother over?

"Oh, but of course you do, sweetie! You've dreamt of your wedding since you were six years old."

I stared at my mother in shock, not because of what she said – that part was actually true, I was a hopeless romantic and had always dreamed of a grand, beautiful wedding – but because she remembered. She usually couldn't recall _anything_ from before the…accident.

"Mother-" I started.

"Perhaps it has got more to do with the person than the wedding itself, hm?" Lian said, sounding pissed. What was his problem?

"What?" I hissed. He really did know how to set me off.

"Perhaps the idea of _me _marrying you is the one that seems so repelling, not the idea of marriage." He pouted.

"Are you _insane_? Do you seriously want to _marry _me? You don't even know me!" I waved my arms in the air.

"Well I don't want to _now,_ obviously," He snorted. "I'd just like to know that the possibility exists. You're not even willing to give me a chance, are you?" He pouted again.

"Have you lost your mind? I just accepted the fact that I might not hate you and now you're expecting me to make promises for the future? You need to slow down, buddy."

During the entire time, my mother had stayed silent, watching us with a curious facial expression. But now she stepped in, staring at me, appalled.

"Bea, how in the world can you be so harsh to this man? He seems kind and caring and you're rejecting him."

"Oh, kind and caring doesn't even begin to describe him" I growled.

My mother got up with surprising agility, moving to sit next to Lian instead. She patted his forearm.

"Don't listen to her, dear. She gets a little stubborn sometimes. Don't worry about it" she calmed him.

"Thank you, Mrs Thartsen" Lian said, a bright smile forming on his face. He looked up from my mother's face to give me a mischievous smirk and a wink, his eyes glittering with humor. I pressed my lips tightly together and glared at him.

He was just pretending, clearly trying to get on my mother's good side as he did so. Trying to win her sympathy was a cheap trick, but it did work. She was delusional, but she was also gentle and caring. When her mind decided to keep her present, she could never refuse to comfort someone or make them feel better.

I frowned at them where they sat, both grinning and looking annoyingly happy and content. I knew my mother would love him; it was just hard to see her accept him so easily. Especially since it had taken me more than a month and her a mere five minutes.

I folded my arms over my chest and leaned my head against the window, gazing out, as they started chit-chatting. I felt so bitter; not like myself at all.

Their voices were a soft background sound as I gazed out at the light drizzle that had picked up outside. Spring was coming – I just hoped that my life would lighten up along with the return of the sun.

* * *

I sprawled out over the king-sized bed with a sigh – a sound coming from deep within me. I gazed up at the white ceiling, wondering how my life had ended up where it had. Everything felt so crazy.  
My mother was safe and sound in one of the guest rooms; full and freshly bathed. I'd left her with a large pile of books from the library, which she'd eagerly dived into. She'd looked so calm, so at ease. I wished that I was that good at making adjustments.  
I buried my hands in my hair, pushing it away from my face. I felt like cutting it all off.  
The door made a soft clicking sound as it opened and closed. I didn't look up; I already knew who it was.  
"How are you?" Lian's voice was laced with concern.  
"Fine" I sighed, closing my eyes.  
I heard a rush of air, and then I suddenly felt a weight on my stomach. It wasn't uncomfortable, but surprising. I opened my eyes to find Lian straddling my waist with one hand on either side of my head. I held my breath as I stared at his worried face.  
"You don't look okay" he murmured.  
I just shrugged, momentarily speechless.  
Lian dropped down onto his elbows instead, his face inches from mine. My breath caught in my throat.  
"What's wrong?" he murmured.  
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. Why in the world did he make me feel this way? I'd been with plenty of men, but I'd never felt anything close to what I felt when Lian did nothing but get into my personal space.  
I felt his lips moving against my neck and couldn't help but bury my hands in his hair and press myself closer to him. If I was going crazy over this vampire, I might as well give in. I wasn't going to win anyway.  
He pressed his mouth to my lower lip lightly, making me long for more. He pulled back slightly and I whined softly in protest.  
"Could you please tell me what's bothering you?" he murmured. He moved again to let his mouth glide along my jaw.  
"I can't think when you do that, stupid" I murmured.  
His lips immediately left my skin and I held back a grumble of protest. I opened my eyes to find him gazing down at me with his head tilted to the side.  
"Why did you stop?" I pouted, not being able to help myself.  
He smiled slightly at my displeased facial expression, but instead of continuing and helping me with forgetting all of my problems, he backed off. With a sigh he pushed himself off of his elbows and me to sit cross-legged at my feet. I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing, but before I got a word out, he grabbed my hands and pulled my up into a sitting position.  
"We need to talk" he told me, looking intently into my eyes and squeezing the hands he still held.  
"About what?" I frowned.  
He smiled at the guarded expression on my face, but then his face turned severe again.  
"What happened to your father?" he asked.  
Oh, that.  
I sighed and slid my hands out of his, looking away from his piercing stare.  
"You're _so_ not making my day any better" I mumbled, drawing a hand through my hair once again. I really should just cut it all off.

"Would you please tell me?"

Oh, he was pleading with me again. _Great_.

I swiftly glanced at his face to find him smiling gently and patiently at me. Well, since he asked nicely…

I sighed. "I was ten when it happened. I had just gone to bed when I heard these strange noises coming from outside. They got closer and soon I heard our door being ripped off of its hinges. And then there were just the sounds of screaming and crying and fighting."

I sighed again, still not meeting Lian's gaze. "I was only a child, so in my head, the safest thing I could do was stay hidden under the covers in my bed. So that's what I did. I stayed there until everything went silent. When I finally had the guts to come out, I found my father lying on the living room floor with a huge wound on his neck. He was dead."

I continued my story, deciding to tell him everything at once. "The morning after we found out that the same thing had happened to Trevor's and several of the other neighborhood children's fathers. Everyone suspected that the vampire armies were coming for our town and wanted to reduce the amount of strong men so that their attack would go more smoothly. The majority of our town fled, but my mother took my father's death very hard. So we stayed. And they never came."

A moment of silence passed before I raised my head to look Lian in the eye. His face held a mix of emotions; worry and pain, but also curiosity and anger.

"So your mother wasn't always like this?" he asked after almost a minute of silence.

I shook my head. "No, she used to be very different. She was a wonderful mother." I smiled slightly at the memory of my strong, confident, laughing mother. "Still is" I added.

"Bea, I don't even know _how_ to start apologizing" Lian said.

I frowned at him. "For what?"  
"For everything! For what other people of my species have done to you and for what _I_ did to you. Your father was killed by a vampire and your mother went crazy because of one. I can't imagine how you must've felt when you found yourself kidnapped by one" he said, exasperated.

I smirked slightly at his words. "So you _do_ admit that you held me hostage."

Lian shook his head at me. "Have you not listened to a word of what I just said?"

"I listened, Lian. And it's okay, I guess. You didn't know and you couldn't have. Just remember to _ask_ first the next time you decide to kidnap an innocent girl" I smiled slyly at him.

Before I knew what was going on, Lian had pulled me into his arm and laid us both down on the bed. He chuckled softly and I settled with my head comfortably settled on his chest, my right arm and leg draped over his body. His arm around my waist tightened.

"Trust me, love, there will be no more kidnapping innocent girls. I already found myself a perfect one."

"Were you always such a smooth talker?" I asked mockingly.

Lian smiled brightly. "Actually, I think I was even better at it when I was human."

I pondered his words for a moment, furrowing my eyebrows.

"It's your turn now" I told him.

"My what?"

"Your turn to tell me your story."

"Which one?" he grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "I want you to tell me about how you became a vampire."

Lian exhaled sharply. "That, my dear, is a long story."

I kept my lips sealed, waiting patiently with an amused smile on my lips. I knew he'd tell me anyway.

Sigh. "I was 21, bordering on 22. I lived in this beautiful, little village with my mother, father and my younger sister, Christina. Looking back at it now, I realize that I pretty much lived the perfect life. I had a loving family, a decent amount of money and the women didn't exactly despise me." He winked and I rolled my eyes. "Some might say that I was quite the ladies' man. You see, I was rather charming and women just-"

I slapped his chest. "Alright, enough with the bragging. Get to the point."

His eyes widened innocently. "Do you want to hear my story or not Miss jealous?"

I frowned, but placed my head back on his chest, exhaling.

"So, I lived a perfectly good and comfortable life. But in the end, my love for women, my imagined charm and my huge ego became my downfall." Lian paused to sigh deeply and I glanced up at his face, watching as it turned serious.

"I was out one night at the town's only pub and met this gorgeous woman. Up until then she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever laid my eyes upon. Naturally, I tried to seduce her and it didn't take much persuasion from my part before she agreed to let me follow her home. I felt so giddy and smug as we started walking, riding on a jittery high caused by pride. The feeling did not last for long. As we entered the forest at the outskirts of our town, heading for the cottage she claimed to live in, I started realizing that something was wrong. Very wrong." Lian paused to catch his breath and I closed my mouth, only now realizing that I was gaping like a fish.

"I'll always remembered when she stopped. She just suddenly froze in the middle of the forest, and when I turned to look at her, the face that met me held nothing of the woman I'd met in the pub. It was inhuman, red eyes blazing and fangs bared, dripping with venom. Yes, I'll always remember that stop and that face. That moment of realization and just utter terror." Once again my mouth had stubbornly fallen open and I closed it, swallowing hard as I watched Lian, his face far away.

"Of course, I was no match for her. She almost drank me dry, but when she heard horses approaching, she left me on the ground to die. I don't remember much after that. I was dizzy, and almost unconscious from the blood loss, just waiting for death to come and pick me up." Lian drew a hand through his hair, sighing once again.

"And that was when James Withlock found me. What he was doing out travelling in the middle of the night, I still don't know. Or why he chose me. But choose me, he did and 24 hours later the transformation was completed and I was a vampire."

Lian unconsciously started twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers and I patiently waited for him to continue with his story.  
"In the beginning it wasn't so bad. I'd always been greedy, longing for war and pride and other silly, insignificant things I then considered important. And all of a sudden I was a strong, invincible warrior, made to fight and kill. And along with my change came the ability to shut off feelings like remorse and guilt. So at first, I loved my new life. It wasn't until a month later, that I finally began to see the drawbacks of being a vampire."

His face turned grieved and I reached up to grab the hand playing with my hair, gently placing a small kiss against his skin before entwining his fingers with mine. He smiled a small, but sad smile at me.

"James had promised that once I gained control over my new body, I'd be able to return to my old life. He kept his promise, which of course, caused me to believe that the man actually cared for me. Not until many years later, after I met Marco, did I realize how clever and manipulative he was. You see, my father was a priest, and though he loved me dearly, his reaction to my changes would be pretty easy to anticipate for anyone else. But I was biased – after all he was my father." I squeezed Lian's hand to encourage him when he paused.

"He cursed me and banned me from the town, telling me he'd burn me to ashes if I stayed for another second. I was in a state of shock as I stood there on the threshold of my old home, with my father's red face screaming that I was the devil's spawn. My mother, who was too kind and gentle for her own good, tried to make him see reason and allow me to stay, but my father wouldn't her any of it. And Chirstina, my baby sister whom I loved more than anything else, she just stood there in the background, looking absolutely terrified." Lian closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "I remember staring into her eyes, just pleading with her to accept me. But she just turned around and walked away. And that's when I left, returning to James' side, which he'd known I would do all along. He'd planned it all." His voice turned bitter at the end.

"I was a complete wreck after that, finally allowing myself to _feel_ and when we vampires do allow ourselves to do that, it's so much more intense than for humans. These dark emotions were slowly eating me up from inside and for a few days I saw no reason to stay alive. That's when James decided to strike. He gave me a purpose in life, something to live for. And that something, was war." Lian snorted at that.

"I stayed with him for five years, training and fighting. I pretty much lived for the smell of blood and the feeling of tearing limbs from bodies with my bare hands. I was forced and taught to shut off most of my feelings, only letting the anger I felt for the way my father had treated me, linger in my body. And that fury was only acceptable because it helped. A lot. But as the months and the years passed, the anger I'd felt slowly started to fade and so did my strength. James – who was extremely manipulative and determined – had always been displeased with me; I was always a little too weak or a little too slow. And as the fury left my body and one of my greatest sources of energy disappeared, he gave up on me. One day the man I'd lived and fought for during the past few years simply got up and left, leaving me without a goodbye. My creator, the man I'd considered my father, wanted nothing to do with me."

"What were you fighting for?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He wanted me to overthrow the government and by that he would rule over, not only the vampire world, but the human one too. James wanted to interfere with the human world centuries before the government actually did."

"How come he didn't just do it himself then?" I continued, frowning. "Was he that much of a pussy?"

Lian chuckled. "He simply wasn't strong enough, and there was nothing he could do to change that. You see, our strength depends on the amount of venom that's injected when we're changed. Too much of it, kills the human. But if you manage to balance that thin, thin line between death and normal vampire strength, the newborn will be extremely strong. And James always liked to experiment."

I shuddered at that, not wanting to know what Lian must've been through.

"So what happened after he left?" I asked.

"Well, I was shocked, to say the least. And hurt. I was confused and actually scared. For the first time in my entire life, I was all alone. But I managed, somehow. Or at least, that's what I thought back then. Almost a century and a half passed and though I constantly bumped into other nomads like myself, most fled when they realized how strong I was. So I was lonely, yet not completely alone. My love for women still remained and I fed almost every night. Even though I'd shut off feelings like compassion and remorse, I always tried not to harm or kill them. But I didn't always leave them unscratched." Lian sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I feel absolutely awful, thinking back at it now." He shock his head slowly.

I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to take in the new information he'd given me, and also trying to accept it. Slowly I reached out, grabbing his hands gently and pulling them away from his face. I stared into his grey eyes and watched him relax as he saw the acceptance in mine. He sighed once again, straightening up.

"What made you change?" I asked quietly.

Lian smiled. "Marco."

"Marco?" I asked doubtfully.

Lian nodded, chuckling when he saw the look I was giving him. "After those 150 years – take or give a decade – James suddenly contacted me again, asking me to present myself at the Withlock mansion as soon as possible. I was suspicious, but still set off, letting my curiosity win. I arrived here a few days later, finding James waiting here with Sloan, who, by the way, scared me. I'd never met a vampire who could match my strength, and then I returned to my creator's side, only to find someone who was not only _as_ strong as me, but stronger. At first, James refused to tell me what was going on. He told me we had to wait for a little while longer." Lian stopped to chuckle once again.

"If I was scared of Sloan, you can only imagine what I felt like when Marco suddenly came barging in. If I'd felt frightened before, I then felt terrified. I'd never seen anyone stand up against James, but he certainly did. He was furious when he first arrived. James obviously hadn't stopped bugging him until he'd agreed to come, so he was definitely not in a good mood. The meeting was just chaotic. James suggested that the three of us together formed an army and took on the government. Sloan was completely on his side, while Marco absolutely refused; he even laughed James in the face when he first brought it up. I, on the other hand, was undecided, but something inside of me yearned for the war I'd been reborn to participate in. Somehow, James managed to finish the meeting with all of us agreeing to stay the night and continue the discussion next day. Well, Marco didn't agree as much as grunt, get up and leave for the bedrooms, but he stayed." Lian smiled then, and this time it wasn't a sad one.

"That night I decided to talk to Marco, trying to make him see some sense. But instead _he_ ended up giving me the lecture of my life and I can easily say that, that night made me see the world from a new perspective. Everything I'd forgotten from my earlier life, everything I'd repressed and forced myself not to feel, suddenly came back. I was a new man. So, the next day we told James no. He never showed his fury – he's always been an amazing actor – but I could feel it. For the second time in my life, James got up and left, leaving us with a smile, but no words. Sloan decided to stay with us too, even though he's never really been on our side."

Lian looked down at me, his smile widening.

"So, to sum it all up: I used to be a very confused, young soul, but after meeting my older brother I found myself again. And here we are."

There was a moment of silence.

"Marco? Really?" I asked again in disbelief, frowning.

Lian laughed out loud before wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling up tighter against him.


	15. Who Will Love You?

**Who will love you?**

_(Birdy) _

My brain wasn't really working right. It was a jumbled mess of fleeting, confused thoughts, lust and happiness. And all because of one stupid vampire and said vampire's skilled mouth and warm hands.

We were on Lian's large bed, our shirts scattered somewhere in the room – their location was extremely insignificant. My hands were buried in Lian's hair, forcing his mouth to stay fused to mine as we kissed as if there was no tomorrow. Moving, licking, biting, brushing each other's lips in perfect synchronization.

His hands roamed over my exposed, overheated skin, making me occasionally shiver or moan quietly. I'd already forgotten that I wasn't supposed to let him know the effect he was having on me. Instead I felt my own lips curving upwards as he smiled slightly whenever I trembled or made a sound of pleasure.

Suddenly, the kiss deepened even further. Lian's tongue tangled with mine in a battle of dominance as I wrapped my legs around his hips to bring him closer to me. He groaned, pressing himself harder against me and I smiled breathlessly as his lips moved from my mouth to my neck. His hands moved south, caressing my abdomen as they moved down to the waistband of my jeans.

_Finally_ some action.

And then he stopped. Just like that. His lips as well as his hands left my skin and most of his weight left my body.

I opened my eyes to stare at him in utter confusion.

"What's wrong?" I asked, still a little out of breath.

He had his hands placed on either side of my face, letting them support his upper body as he breathed slowly in and out with his head bowed and his eyes closed.

I placed my hand against his warm cheek, worry overtaking me.

"Lian?" I asked questioningly.

His beautiful, grey eyes opened to gaze down at me.

"Why did you stop?" I asked.

He smiled a small smile. "You're not ready."

I raised my eyebrows incredulously. "Excuse me?"

His smile widened slightly and he gently cradled my face in his hands.

"You're not ready."

"For _what_?" I was still completely shocked.

"You're not ready to go any further than this."

I stared at him with my mouth open, absolutely baffled.

"You're joking, right?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "No, Bea."

"Lian, I am a _prostitute_. This isn't exactly new to me."

Lian growled at me. "_Were_."

"What?"

"You _were_ a prostitute" he said fiercely.

"Fine, whatever. Point is, you don't have to try to take things slow with me. I'm not some inexperienced virgin, wanting her first time to be all fluffy and lovey-dovey and magical. I know the drill."

"Trust me, you're no better than a virgin."

I gaped at him again. "_Ouch_. That one stung."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I didn't mean it like that, silly. But do you remember what I told you during you second week here?"

I shook my head, frowning.

"I told you that you were but a virgin if you had yet to make love to someone you actually had feelings for."

I buried my face in my hands, chuckling. "Oh, _please_. Don't start with that bullshit."

Lian grabbed my hands, twining his fingers with mine before pressing my arms to my sides and leaning in. He placed little butterfly kisses all over my chest and neck, making me tremble slightly and close my eyes in satisfaction. His lips tickled the sensitive spot below my ear and I shivered in response.

"See that?" he murmured against my skin, making his breath fan over it, which only made my already overheated skin even hotter. "I bet no one has ever made you feel that way before."

I swallowed audibly, but refused to answer.

"I'll take that as a yes." I felt him smile against my skin.

"So what?" I asked, my voice slightly breathless. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"It means that this time it'll be different. This time I don't want you to just rush through it. I want to make it special for you." His words were sweet, but they rang false in my ears.

I determinedly placed my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to leave my neck and meet my eyes.

"What's _really_ going on here, Lian?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at him.

He sighed, closing his eyes. In that moment he looked much too old for his 21 year old body.

"You'll see when the time comes." He said after a moment of silence. "Just trust me when I say this; you are not ready."

I frowned at him for a moment and then released his face, rolling away from him in one swift move. I stood from the bed, fumbling around for my shirt as I tried to cover my exposed chest.

"You don't have to lie like that. If you don't wanna do it, then you don't wanna do it. Just say it and skip the whole fake excuses part. It's just annoying." I grumbled as I hobbled around, trying to walk with my still injured leg. I probably looked pretty damn pitiful.

I heard Lian sigh deeply.

"Bea, why won't you believe me?"

"Because you've given me nothing to believe in" I answered simply.

I heard a rush of air and then suddenly Lian was right in front of me, blocking my path. He grabbed my hands and forced them down to my sides, leaving me exposed once again. I swallowed, feeling slightly uncomfortable when I met his intense gaze, filled with emotion.

"You mean a lot to me. A whole lot more than you know. And if you didn't, I would've just thrown you own the bed and had my way with you."

I looked away from his eyes – the emotion in them was too strong. He cradled my face in his hands, forcing it up and staring deeply into my eyes. My expression softened, against my will.

"But you _do_ mean a lot to me" he swallowed hard. "And that is why I'm going to do something for you."

I gazed at him in confusion, opening my mouth to ask. Before I got a word out, he put a finger against my lips, shushing me.

"It'll be a surprise" he murmured.

Swiftly, he pressed his lips against mine for a second and my eyes closed. I heard a rush of air and when I opened my eyes the mouth touching mine was gone and so was Lian.

I put two fingers to my lips, feeling the remaining tingle and warmth of Lian's lingering on them. I smiled slightly, shaking my head.

I was usually so good at reading people and understanding their emotions and moods. But Lian, I didn't get at all; he constantly surprised me.

And I found that I kind of liked that.

* * *

"Oh, God" I moaned, bending over the toilet stool for the umpteenth time and heaved.

It had been going on for almost an hour. After Lian's sudden take-off, I'd spent the day with my mother before having an early dinner and going to bed. At one in the morning I'd woken just to sprint for the toilet and barely making it there before I threw up for the first time.

"Could you _please_ keep it down? I'm trying to get some sleep" said a mocking voice, coming from the doorway.

"Fuck off, Sloan" I groaned over the toilet.

"And now you're being cocky and rude too" he tsked.

My only response was another dry-heave.

"I should punish you" he continued.

"How nice. Why don't you do that after I'm done puking?" I asked in a raspy voice, simply not giving a damn.

"So, so rude" he continued.

I felt my stomach clench and leaned over the toilet stool again, not understanding how my body could contain so much food – or more like, vomit.

I heard Sloan sigh from the doorway. And then hands were suddenly holding my hair out of the away as I continued to spit and dry-heave.

"Who knocked you up?" Sloan mumbled from above me.

I leaned my hot forehead against the cool surface of the toilet seat.

"Bad chicken" I explained.

"In that case, you have a really, really weak stomach" he muttered.

I couldn't come up with a response to that, so I just sighed, waiting for the next round to start.

"Are you done puking yet?" Sloan asked. I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Probably not" I told him truthfully.

"How can I be sure you're not just saying that to escape your punishment?" he asked mischievously.

"Go ahead, then. Just don't blame me if you get puke all over you're designer clothes" I muttered, closing my eyes.

Sloan sighed again.

"Anything I can get you?" he asked.

I smiled slightly. "Really? All of this so you can have sex with me? I'm flattered."

He chuckled slightly. "No, seeing you with vomit all over your face was kind of a turnoff. But I do owe Lian one."

I frowned at his helpfulness, but then shrugged internally. I was too sick to care anyway.

"Well, in that case, could you get me a bucket and a glass of water?" I asked hoarsely.

"Coming right up" he mumbled, letting go of my hair.

Two seconds later he was back next to me, swiftly putting his arms around me and scooping me up. I gasped in surprise, my eyes fluttering open.

"You're not gonna throw up all over me if I carry you, right?" he asked.

"I really _hope_ not" I mumbled.

"Cause if you do, you're punishment is going to be a whole lot worse" he said, humor in his voice. I didn't know if he was joking or not, but decided to pretend like he was. Otherwise I might've ended up vomiting for a completely different reason.

Three seconds later I was in the bed, the bucket placed next to me on the floor and the glass of water in my trembling hands. I chucked it down in one swoop and then leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes.

I felt a hand against my forehead and then heard Sloan's voice next to me.

"Well, at least you're not running a fever" he told me.

"I just need some sleep" was my only response.

"Then good night" he said. "Yell if you think you're dying."

I peeked up at him trough my eyelids.

"So, you can drink my blood before it gets cold, right?"

"Exactly" he grinned widely.

I smiled slightly and closed my eyes again. I heard his almost inaudible footsteps as he moved towards the door.

"Sloan" I stopped him, opening my eyes again.

"Mhm."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Why are you always acting like such a creep when you can actually be genuinely nice?"

I heard him sigh and felt the bed shift as he sat down.

"You definitely don't know me well enough to ask that, dear human" he told me, his voice grave, but still mocking.

"What if I do?"

He chuckled, a sound lacking humor. It raised goose bumps all over my skin, but I ignored it.

"Trust me, sweetie, you _definitely_ don't."

I shifted slightly in bed, straightening up a bit.

"Then, please, do enlighten me, dear vampire" I said mockingly.

I heard the bed shift as Sloan stood and I tensed, waiting for his response.

"Be careful, Bea" he warned softly after a few seconds of silence. "The night always makes you bolder. Keep in mind that, that applies to me too."

I closed my opened mouth, frowning at him as he moved for the door.

"Sleep tight" he whispered with a mischievous smirk, before disappearing out into the hallway.

I shook my head slowly. Yet another vampire I didn't get at all. But this one's bipolar behavior only annoyed me.

* * *

I rolled over in bed, pressing a pillow over my face and groaning. My stomach was so not in a good mood.

All of a sudden, I heard someone clear their throat – right above my head.

I ripped the pillow away from my face, yelping in surprise when I found Marco standing over me with his arms crossed. I put a hand over my panicking heart, trying to slow my breathing.

"What the hell are you doing?" I scolded him, my voice hoarse.

"You were sick" he told me coldly.

My eyes widened in response.

"Since when do you have to scare the shit out of people when they're sick?" I screeched.

He snorted, looking away from my face.

"I see that you're obviously feeling better" he told me apathetically.

"Well, I _was_ before I found you staring at me while I slept."

"You were already awake" he hissed, stalking away from the bed.

"Was not" I muttered.

Marco snorted once again, before disappearing out the door.

"Well, goodbye to you too" I mumbled.

I forced my body too cooperative and slowly brought myself up into a sitting position, flinching slightly. In one swift move I swung my legs over the side of the bed, before fumbling around for my crutches, getting up and making my way toward the closet that I now knew held a few items of women's clothing. My arms felt weak and jelly like, but I managed to exchange Lian's large shirt for a long sleeved T-shirt. I was just rummaging around for a pair of jeans when Marco reentered the room.

"What are you _doing_?" he hissed.

"Getting dressed, obviously" I growled back, feeling annoyed. Why did he have to be so angry all the time?

"You're sick" he stated, stalking towards me with deliberate strides.

"Not anymore, I'm not" I said angrily, stumbling back when he got closer.

"You're supposed to rest" Marco grumbled, ushering me towards the bed. I tried fighting back, but he was way too strong.

"Resting and staying in bed is all I've been doing since I got here" I hissed furiously, leaning back against the pillows.

"Then one more day is not going to make a difference" Marco mumbled, handing me a pill and a glass of water.

"I don't want your stupid pills" I muttered, but I chucked it down anyway, not even bothering to object. I knew I wouldn't win.

"It'll be a while before it starts working" Marco told me, his voice a dead monotone. He got up from his crouching position next to the bed, standing with his arms folded to look out the window.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked as I pulled the covers up over my body.

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he had the chance to, I chuckled.

"Don't tell me. You're doing it for Lian, right?"

Marco closed his mouth, continuing to stare out the window.

"Well, I guess that only means I owe you big time" I said, yawning. I'd gotten way too little sleep with all the throwing up I'd been doing. "When you find yourself a girl and kidnap her, I'll help her out all the time. Promise."

The dark haired vampire snorted in response.

"Right, you hate people. You're gonna stay alone for the rest of your limitless existence. Sorry, I forgot" I muttered sarcastically.

Again, he didn't answer me. I remained silent for a few minutes, watching him through squinting eyes with my eyebrows pulled together.

I couldn't help but notice what a beautiful, yet sad picture he made. He looked so lonely, so dead and so…lost? I wondered why he acted the way he did; what in his passed had created that cold mask?

"Marco" I started, waiting for him to acknowledge me. He didn't.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked. I didn't sound sad or pitiful, just curious. Even though I really didn't care about what the vampire at the window actually thought of me, I was still a nosy person.

"I do not hate you" he told me simply, voice dead and cool.

"Then why are you acting the way you are around me?" I asked calmly, staring at his emotionless face.

"I always act like this."

I smiled slightly. "Why?"

He gave me no reply.

"What happened to you?" I asked in a soft voice.

Still no response.

"Really? You're just gonna ignore me?" I asked doubtfully.

"Obviously."

I shook my head in irritation.

"So you don't think it would help to talk about why you're socially retarded and so arrogant you can't even bother to converse with people below you?"

He remained silent.

"You don't think it would help to talk about why you're so terrified of feeling, you just shut it all off or how you're going to spend the rest of your life alone and depressed if you never open up to anyone?" I continued.

"What I choose to do with my life is none of your business, Beatrice. Stop sticking your nose in other people's business" he told me coldly, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"But you're wasting it!" I told him, exasperated. "You've got forever to live and yet you're just throwing all of that time away. You've obviously not got a horrible person hiding behind that mask of yours, otherwise Lian wouldn't be talking about you the way he does. So why are you living a half-life?" I asked him, exasperated.

I couldn't for the life of me understand why Marco behaved the way he did. My childhood hadn't been the best one ever, but I'd always tried to look past that, to grow and place myself above it. To try to stay positive and happy, because that was my way of surviving. His way seemed so much harder.

Marco suddenly whipped around, glaring at me with venom in his eyes.

"You have absolutely _no right_ to judge me, human. I bet you think you've got me all figured out, when in fact you know _nothing_. Nothing. So, please, do me a favor a shut up. Before I_ make_ you" he growled loudly.

The fury in his eyes frightened me slightly, but also made my curiosity flare. Why was he acting so defensive?

Before I had the chance to come up with a response, he stormed off, shutting the door with a loud bam.

I huffed in annoyance, curling up under the covers with me arms wrapped around my legs.

And here was a third vampire, who turned out to be close to impossible to understand. Only this one infuriated me more than anything else.

* * *

**There! New chapter.**

**Pleeeeaaaase don't forget to review. I'd love 285 before I update again! XD**

**You're the best!**


	16. Author's Note 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Dear loyal, patient readers (and other, less awesome people)!**

**No, I'm not giving up on this story just yet, but it'll probably be put on hold for a while. **

**Why? Because my lovely sister encouraged me to start rewriting SiM so I could...well, I'm not gonna tell you why, but maybe, just maybe, you'll find out someday. So it's really my sister you should be blaming.**

**Anyways, part of the reason I started writing TBS was so that I could fill in the gaps from SiM, but since I'm now rewriting and adding a lot of stuff it kinda takes away some - or actually a lot - of my material for TBS. So until I've figured out exactly what's gonna be in the new SiM - or until I give up and drop the project - I'm probably not gonna be writing anything for TBS. **

**However, I do have a question. Would you people be interested in reading the new Silver in the Moonlight if I put it up on _fictionpress_? Or are you sick of Marco and Aurelia? Cause if you people aren't interested, I might as well continue writing TBS with the "gap filling"-method, since you won't - or _probably_ won't - be reading the new version and therefore won't get pissed when familiar scenes or stuff appear in it.**

**So what do you think? I really need your opinions!**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing people!**

**_/Mandydoll_**


	17. Ten Thousand Miles Apart

**Sooo, the majority didn't seem too interested in rereading SiM, especially if I didn't change the ending (which I won't, I might add), so I decided to continue on TBS. Since I'm writing two stories at the same time atm, the updating will probably be pretty slow, but I'll do my best.**

**Please keep reviewing!**

* * *

**Ten thousand miles apart**

_(Rihanna)_

I was out on a small expedition in the big mansion I now called my home. After spending yet another morning with my mother – still with no sign of Lian – and leaving her for a nap, I'd grown tired of just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. So, therefore, I went for a tiny field trip.

I'd already been through the entire first floor; it only held the huge dining room, ball room, the grand main hall and the kitchen, in other words, nothing new. I'd just finished the second floor, were most of the doors were locked and the ones that weren't hid rooms I'd already been in; Lian's, Fiona's, Sloan's, the white room with shackles and the library.

When I'd made my way up to the third floor I was met with disappointment. I already knew which rooms to stay away from; Marco's bedroom and his study – I didn't feel like seeing his cold face anytime soon. The others were locked and I sighed as I continued down the long hall, only meeting unmoving doors.

Just as I'd lost all hope, putting my hand on the last door on the floor, the handle gave in under my grip and the door swung open with a quiet squeak. I grinned brightly as I stepped into the room.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of personal things – it was as if the bedroom I'd stepped into had no inhabitant. And yet the walls were filled with gorgeous paintings, too detailed and personal to decorate the walls of a guest room.

I cautiously stepped into the room, curiously peeking around. The bed was made, and the floor was, as well as the mahogany desk and the matching dresser, shiny and spotless. A large painting – taking up a good part of the wall – behind the desk caught my attention.

It was very pretty. A grand, brown stallion stood in the center of the picture, looking nervous yet powerful. A beautiful, brown haired man in his mid forties was straddling the saddle. His crimson eyes seemed to bore into me with an eerie calm and confidence and I didn't like the look of the small smile on his lips. As if he knew a secret that could destroy the world, and was extremely pleased with that. It almost sent a shudder down my spine. And even though the man gave me the creeps, he wasn't what caught my attention.

Beside the horse stood a young boy – no older than twelve – holding onto one side of the reins. He was gangly and thin, his dark brown hair tousled and his brown eyes wide as they stared at the artist. His eyes showed fear and worry, but his mouth was pressed in a determined line. I was surprised at how much time the painter seemed to have put on perfecting the boy's expression when it was clearly the man on the horse who had paid to get his picture made.

I stepped closer, studying the painting more carefully and found a scribbling in the right corner. _Sir James Withlock with Ludwig IIi and Marcus_ it said, and then a year followed. I stared at it in surprise. The painting was almost 280 years old, and yet it looked so well-preserved.

I continued to gaze around the room, finding another painting similar to the one behind the desk. Only it's frame was smaller, the horse was black and the man sitting on it wore different clothes. And there was no boy holding onto the reins, there was a man in his mid twenties. He was tall, but rather gangly with dark hair, a sharp jaw and kind, brown eyes. He gazed at the artist with a neutral expression, but the wrinkles around his eyes told me that he was a man of many smiles.

I recognized the man, but couldn't put my finger on from where. I squinted at the painting, trying catch the words scribbled in the right corner of it.

"What are you doing in here?" I whipped around, finding Marco standing in the doorway, frowning angrily at me.

"Trying not to die from boredom" I responded, turning back to the painting.

I gazed at it for a second before my eyes widened in shock. Swiftly I whipped my head back to the doorway and the glaring Marco, and then back to the painting.

"No way" I whispered.

I turned to look at the mad vampire, whose face had now frozen in a mask of shock. I pointed at the painting.

"Is that _you_?" I asked.

Marco's face unfroze and instead turned absolutely murderous.

"No" growled.

I ignored his anger and turned back to the painting..

"But you look so much alike" I whispered, tilting my head to the side. There were actually a few differences. Except for the fact that he man in the painting obviously lacked Marco's muscles and flawless vampire looks. His lips were also a bit too thin, his eyes a bit too small and his face a bit too long to match the bloodsucker's in the doorway.

I turned back to Marco, finding him glaring at me with venom in his eyes. I'd seen him mad before, but not like this, because behind all of that anger, there was hurt.

"Who was he?" I asked gently.

The vampire's eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a thin, hard line. I could see his fists clench. At first, I didn't think he was going to answer me.

"My father" he surprised me by saying, still glaring daggers at me.

"Oh." Feeling startled and a little bit guilty, I turned away from his furious eyes, staring at the large painting behind the desk. I stared into the little boy's big, brown eyes, realization dawning on me.

"You're not supposed to-" Marco started, but I interrupted him.

"Is that him too?" I asked, pointing at the boy.

"No" Marco growled. "That's me. Now get _out_."

I whipped around to stare at him in shock again.

"That's _you_?" I asked, shocked. "But his name's Marcus."

Marco remained silent, but I could feel him fuming. I decided to be quick and hurl my questions at him before his anger exploded.

"Why did you change your name?" I asked, turning back to him.

"This is none of your business, human. Now leave."

I frowned at him, once again seeing hurt flash through his eyes along with the anger.

"Did James force you?" I guessed, ignoring his respond.

"_Get out_" Marco grumbled, taking a step in my direction.

"What happened to your father?" I asked instead, forcing myself not to tremble in fear.

Marco stalked forward and I instinctively took a step back as he stood to tower over me.

"I said, _get out_" he hissed in my face.

Goosebumps rose all over my body as I shrunk under his glare, forgetting how to use my legs for a moment. He flashed his fangs and my eyes widened in fear. I'd never seen anyone look so terrifying in my entire life.

"_Now_" he continued.

I gripped my crutches harder and hobbled out of the room as quickly as I could, continuing down the stairs and into Lian's room before I collapsed onto a chair, my hands still trembling.

* * *

As I made my way into the dining room an hour later, I was in a bad mood. A very bad mood. The fear I'd felt for Marco earlier had instead been replaced by sheer annoyance and a tad bit of fury. Why did he have to be so _rude_? He already had "mysterious, bad guy" written all over him, so why did he feel the need to get all hissy whenever someone tried getting to know him? Stupid bloodsucker.

"Having a bad morning, pumpkin?" Sloan asked from his seat at the head of the table, reading the papers. I noticed that his plate was empty.

I sighed – or more like grunted – as I sat down, helping myself to the macaroni and cheese that was served for lunch.

"Is it that obvious?" I grumbled, thrusting a fork with the delicious food into my mouth, closing my eyes in bliss for a moment.

Sloan just chuckled.

I continued to stuff food into my mouth at an impressing speed, barely giving myself the time to chew before I swallowed. Being underweight had it's cons; I could pig out whenever I felt like it, without having to care about my looks.

"So, what's your problem?" Sloan asked, after watching me eat with a surprised, yet amused expression on his face.

"Your dear brother" I grumbled after swallowing.

"Ah, yes. Marco Withlock – the unresolved puzzle. A complete nightmare to someone like you."

"What do you mean, someone like me?" I asked, my mouth filled with food.

Sloan flinched slightly at the sight. "Someone who always feels the need to stick her nose into other people's business."

"I do _not_" I said defensively, even though I knew he was absolutely right.

"So what did you do?" he asked, ignoring my objection.

I swallowed again before answering. "Well, I kinda found this study. And then he pretty much came barging in, guns blazing, wanting me to leave."

Sloan stared at me in disbelief for a moment.

"No way. You can't be that unlucky."

"_What?_" I cried, my voice getting muffled by the scrambled eggs.

"You found James' study." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "You're incredible" Sloan said, shaking his head.

"What?" I asked again, frowning at him. His evasiveness was becoming annoying.

"That, pumpkin, is not just a study. That's the room James keeps all of his information in." Sloan smirked at the end.

"That doesn't make sense. How come it's unlocked?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing even more.

"Well, there's nothing _useful_ in there anymore, our creator took everything with him when he left" Sloan seemed to sigh in regret at the last part. "But there is, however, information about some of his creations in there. Their background stories, families, files. Sometimes even photos – or, in most cases, paintings.

I swallowed, taking the information in.

"Do you think there's anything about Lian?" I asked after a minute. Sloan was still watching me.

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Probably not a lot though. Lian was strong, but never James' favorite. There is however an awful lot about his golden boy in there" the vampire finished with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "So daddy loved you that much, huh?"

Sloan stared at me for a moment, real surprise showing in his eyes. "You do know that I'm referring to Marco, right?"

I shrugged. "How was I supposed to know?"

Sloan chuckled. "Lian never told you about Marco?"

I shook my head swiftly before stopping, smiling a wicked smile. I dropped my fork, placing my hand under my chin and looking pleadingly at Sloan.

"No he didn't. But you could."

"I don't think that's my place to tell, sweetheart" the vampire's eyes returned to the newspaper in his hands.

"Please?"

Sloan's eyes moved over to me again, but this time there was a wicked, evil look in his eyes.

"Maybe. If I get something in return."

I sighed, my attention returning to my food again. I picked up my fork, showing some bacon into my mouth. I knew I'd officially lost the vampire; once he started with his sex talk and his threats he never seemed to stop.

We were both silent for a few minutes.

"On second thoughts, I seem to recall you owing me big time after the other night" Sloan started suggestively. "I still haven't given you a proper punishment."

I looked up from my food, frowning at him. "Why do you always do that?" I asked.

I could tell that I'd caught him off guard by the startled look in his crimson eyes.

"Excuse me?"

I waved my hands in the air exasperatedly. "Why do you act like such a creep when you know how to behave like a normal, decent human being?"

Sloan stared at me, tilting his head to one side. It was a rather frightening sight, but I held my own, staring back.

"Because I'm not a normal, decent human being, Bea. You seem to forget that. You live with _vampires_. And no matter how good your Lian pretends or tries to be, he'll never be anything less or more than one."

I stared at the brown haired vampire in front of me for a moment. He seemed to interpret my silence as fear, but instead all I felt was pity.

"That's probably the worst explanation I've ever heard" I murmured, shaking my head with a small smile.

Sloan raised his eyebrows incredulously. I once again placed my chin in my hand, gazing at the supposedly dangerous vampire.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

The vampire said nothing, only continued to gaze at me. I could tell that he was trying to stare me down and intimidate me, but I refused to back down.

And I won. Soon enough he turned back to his newspapers and picked up his reading.

"Remember what I told you the other night, little human? You don't know me well enough to ask questions yet."

I smirked. "I didn't know I had to become your BFF before you told me about your life, pumpkin" I teased.

Sloan smirked at that, but the expression was colder than before. It raised goose bumps on my arms. "Sweetie, when I say that you don't know me well enough, it doesn't have anything to do with my shyness or modesty." He looked up, meeting my eyes again. "It's because you haven't seen any of the things I do yet."

Something in his face made the smile on my face slowly turn into a frown and the goose bumps on my arms spread until they covered my entire body.

"Whatever you say" I managed to mutter, staring down at my still half-full plate.

We spent the rest of my lunch in an awkward silence.

* * *

Standing in only a bra and panties, I gazed at myself in the full-length mirror with my head tilted to one side. I looked different. Well, fatter. Or closer to normal, if you chose to see it that way. My ribs and hipbones no longer protruded through my skin like before, they were just barely visible. My legs and arms couldn't be compared to sticks anymore and my cheeks were less hollow and a whole lot rounder. All in all, I pretty much looked healthy.

My boobs however, would never fill out anything bigger than a small B-cup – on a good day – and my hips would never be luscious and wide. My body had always been sort of boyish, just as the pretty sharp features of my face, but I'd never really considered it a problem.

Well, not until now.

A few years back – when the humans still ruled – I probably could've been considered rather pretty. Curves were sometimes appreciated, but being skinny, and not too feminine, was modern. Sharp jaws and prominent cheekbones made you look fashionable, not poor.

The vampires sort of changes those ideals when they took over. Since most of them were born before the whole top model hysteria and most importantly, because female vampire bodies were hard and far away from soft, most preferred blood banks, pets or whatever, with curves. Fatness or obesity was definitely not something they found attractive, but the super skinny girls without boobs or hips were normally never used as anything more than servants.

Therefore – along with a whole bunch of other reasons – I'd never really figured I'd end up with a vampire. Let alone a rich, powerful one like Lian. So, I guessed it wasn't completely weird of me to have moments when my confidence wavered, but it annoyed me. Why did I even care? If the stupid vampire had fought so much to keep me, he surely wouldn't leave me when he found that no matter how much weight I put on, my body still wouldn't become much more feminine.

I scowled at my reflection, putting my hands over my not so impressive hips, willing them to broaden just a little.

"What are you doing?"

I whipped around to reprimand him, but couldn't help but smile when I turned around, finding my vampire standing in the doorway.

"You're supposed to knock" I teased, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It's my house" he shrugged, letting his eyes slowly trail over my almost-naked body.

"It's my body" I retorted.

"Not for much longer" I thought I heard him murmur, but wasn't sure I heard it right.

"What?" I asked instead. He opened his mouth to speak, but as I stared at him, I forgot to listen.

What had he been _doing_? His hair was all over the place and along with his ripped shirt, muddy shoes and a nasty wound on his cheek, he looked as if he'd been in a fight. A big one.

"What happened to you?" I cut him off.

"What?" he asked, clearly surprised that I wasn't listening. The suggestive smirk that slid off his face at my question, proved that he'd been talking about something I probably should've paid attention to.

I gestured at his body. "Why do you look all beaten up?"

He smiled smugly before stepping into the room, shutting the door behind him. He pulled off the torn shirt, throwing it onto a chair.

"I told you, I went away to do something for you."

"Does that something include you getting beaten to a bloody pulp?"

He rolled his eyes. "I've only got a few scratches."

"So you _did_ get into a fight?"

Lian just smiled. "I thought you would be able to guess what I've been up to."

He stepped closer to me, but I took a step back. Something was wrong. I took in his attire more closely, noticing the blood stains – blood that obviously wasn't his. I took another step back.

Lian stopped, looking at me in confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, shocked.

I frowned at him, knowing that fear was showing in my eyes. "Lian, what did you do?" I whispered.

"Bea, calm down for a-"

"What did you do?" I demanded, my voice louder.

The vampire gaped at me in shock for a moment. "I killed him."

I froze, staring at him in disbelief. "_Who?_"

"Your father's killer."

* * *

**So how do you think Bea will react?**

**I know it's a rather boring filler, but sometimes those are neccessary. I know some of you noticed how different Sloan's been acting in TBS. Well, as you might've guessed, he'll soon reveal his true self (or rather, as I'd like to put it, his alterego)****.**

**Also, I didn't really have the time to reread it so it probably looks pretty sloppy. Sorry.**


	18. It's So Different When We Kiss

**It's so different when we kiss**

_(Robyn)_

I stood frozen in shock, staring at Lian. He stared back, holding still, knowing better than to move closer to me.

"No" I whispered, shaking my head in denial. "You couldn't have."

"Why not?" Lian asked, gazing at me in confusion.

"You wouldn't do that" I said, taking another step back and shaking my head once again.

I could see the panic in his eyes as he watched my retreat and my frightened, disbelieving face.

"Why not?" he asked. "He killed your father, Bea. He deserved it."

I took another step back, shaking my head. "No."

Lian waved his arms exasperatedly. "Why are you mad? I thought you'd be happy about this. Or at least a bit thankful."

I felt the icy fingers of fear creeping up my spine, sending cold chills all over my tense body. This had to be a dream. A nightmare. Lian wouldn't do this. Not my Lian. Not the kind, gentle, patient Lian that I knew. He wouldn't simply kill a man and then go back home with a proud smile on his face, not feeling regretful in the slightest. He wouldn't. Because that would make him the monster Sloan had earlier claimed that he was. And I refused to believe that.

I could see that Lian noticed the change in my face; how the caution in my eyes turned into fear.

"Why are you afraid?" he whispered, sounding scared himself.

"You killed a man" I answered in a hushed voice.

"He deserv-"

"You killed a man" I cut him off. "And you're not even feeling any remorse. Self defense, I'd understand. But hunting him up _years_ later just so you can end him because of revenge? That's just sick. And then you expect me to, what? Celebrate? Congratulate you? You disgust me."

Lian frowned at me and I could see a flash of anger in his black eyes. "What did you expect me to do? Just let him live? He killed innocent people, Bea. He ruined entire families." He waved a hand at me at that last part. "What kind of man would I be if I just let him go on with his life as if he'd done nothing wrong?"

"You would be a mature, understanding man, that's the kind of man you'd be. What good does his death do? It doesn't bring my father back. It doesn't help me or any of the other families in any way. It doesn't help us understand _why_ it happened. More like the opposite, now we'll never know."

"Why would you want to understand why he murdered them? He's a blood thirty, vile beast with no self control, there's no other explanation."

"You really think that's all there is to it?" I asked, appalled. "You don't think there's a reason he did what he did? That there's a reason _why _he had no self control? _Why_ he killed without feeling any shame? There's _always_ an explanation. Sometimes even a solution. And killing the person without even thinking it through, is _not_ that solution."

"An explanation isn't an excuse, Bea" Lian told me.

"Who needs a proper apology? My dead father? My delusional mother?" I cried.

Lian shock his head at me in disbelief. "You pity him, that's why you don't want him dead. You wanted to _help_ him. You're unbelievable."

I scowled at the vampire. "I believe there's a reason some things happens. But you ruined everything before I had the chance to find out what that reason was."

I remained in my spot, frowning at him as we both remained silent for a minute. Lian looked completely baffled and then slowly took a step closer to me.

"That's why you're always so busy trying to figure everyone else out, isn't it? You still haven't accepted the fact that your father died. That your mother went crazy. You're still trying to figure out why it happened."

I stared at him warily, not liking where he was heading.

"That's why you're talking to Sloan. Why you're trying to figure Marco out. Why you didn't run when I told you my story." He shook his head. "You're too kind for your own good."

I felt my face go completely blank at that last sentence. He had a point.

"You're obviously right" I told him coldly. "I've been wrong all this time. Vampires are nothing but blood thirsty, vile monsters that deserve to die. I guess I should've known that from the start."

I could see realization hit Lian.

"Bea, don't-" he started.

I shook my head, smiling a sad smile. "I thought you'd change your mind when you realized how hypocritical you were sounding. When you realized that you used to do the exact same thing a hundred years ago." I shook my head again. "But I guess Sloan was right. You're all the same. There's really no hope for you. You'll never be anything but a vampire."

I spat the last words at him, wanting him to hurt as badly as I did. It felt as if I was heading towards a precipice at an impossible speed, unable to stop. I knew was ruining everything and yet I couldn't do anything stop it. This was the end of all of this.

Or so I thought.

Lian stepped forward with a determined look in his eyes, ignoring my glaring, and framed my face in his hands. He lowered his head, gazing into my unwavering stare with eyes filled with and emotion I didn't want to recognize.

"I love you" he told me softly.

Those three words didn't excuse Lian's brutal behavior in any way, but they _explained_ why he'd acted the way he did. A man in love was not a rational one, and even though his lack of regret still bothered me a bit, I realized that it wasn't the reason I'd gotten mad. The real cause for my exasperation and anger obviously wasn't the fact that a man was dead; it was because my _father's killer _was dead.

Of course Lian had been right earlier. Ever since my father died I'd been very interested in understanding everyone around me, acting like a mix between an inexperienced shrink and the nosiest person alive. I never really knew why though. Perhaps I couldn't accept my father's death. Perhaps I wanted to understand how his killer – and everyone else – thought. Perhaps I wanted to make the world a better place. Or perhaps I just suffered from a severe form of incurable curiosity. It had never really mattered to me.

Well, not until now.

I believed in explanations and forgiveness, not revenge and hatred. Understanding people, and helping them, was what had kept me sane while growing up with no father, a delusional mother and greedy, creepy men paying for my body. By killing the one man I desperately _needed_ to understand and forgive, Lian had pretty much deprived me of my purpose in life. It shook my world, turning everything upside down and making me feel disoriented and completely lost.

Lian took advantage of my temporary confusion. Pulling my face up to his, he crushed his lips to mine, forcing my mind to go on vacation and my treacherous hormones to take over my body.

There was something different about the kiss. It was just as scorching and passionate as the others, but there was also a knew emotion in it. There was a slight touch of desperation in the way Lian's lips moved with mine, as if he felt like he had prove himself in some way. He really shouldn't have felt the need to do that; I was lost to the world and utterly his the second our mouths met.

As my fingers tangled in his hair and my legs somehow managed to wrap around his waist, a small part of my mind patiently started waiting for Lian to stop, just as he always did. As our breathing grew louder, his hands swiftly removing my bra and tossing it across the room as his lips moved down my neck to my chest, that small part had managed to convince my whole brain that I would very soon be left panting, annoyed and unsatisfied on the bed. As my mouth placed kisses all over his naked torso and his hands slowly slid up my legs to grab a fierce hold my underwear, I _knew_ that it was going to end right there. I should've been in enough control of my body to pull away and not give him the chance to reject me yet again.

It turned out to be a good thing I wasn't. Because Lian didn't stop.

After mere seconds I erased all the anger I'd ever felt towards him for calling me nothing but a virgin. He'd been right. Even though I'd long ago lost count of how many times I'd preformed the act and I'd stopped counting the number of men I'd had sex with at the age of 16, it was an entirely new experience.

This time I didn't close my eyes because the sight of the man above me disgusted me; I did it to better savor the moment. This time I didn't count the minutes until an hour had passed; I had absolutely no idea of what time it was and couldn't care less. This time it wasn't about getting a costumer to come as fast as possible so I could hurry back to my mother with new food; it was about wonderful, new sensations and deep emotions I couldn't quite comprehend yet. This time I wasn't left cold and repulsed with a hundred dollar bill on the bedside table; I ended up sweaty and warm with Lian's arms around me and my head resting against his chest with the steady beating of his warm heart lulling me into a peaceful slumber as his fingers combed through my damp hair.

* * *

When I woke up, it was dark outside.

The lights in our room were still on, so when I first opened my eyes I was met with the beautiful sight of Lian's peaceful, sleeping face. I smiled softly at the innocent picture he made up, slowly lifting a weak hand to trace the features of his perfect face. As my fingertips followed the line of his full lips, I knew he was awake by the way they curved upwards into a small smile. I continued anyway, until he finally rewarded me with opening his eyes. I pulled my hand back, my grin widening.

"Awake yet?" I asked brightly.

"Not by my own choice, no" he answered, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"That wasn't the question, now was it?" I murmured, gazing into his beautiful silver eyes. They were lighter than I'd ever seen them.

"What's gotten you into such a wonderful mood?" Lian asked mockingly, his small smile turning into a confident grin.

I smirked. "Well, I slept with this vampire." His grin widened. "He wasn't very good. But then when I went to sleep I dreamt about having sex with his _brother_ and that was-"

"Shut up" Lian grumbled, growling playfully and rolling over on top off me to pin me down and plant a kiss on my laughing mouth. We wrestled for a while, but with my broken leg and, well, him being both a vampire and pretty much irresistible, he won.

We kissed for a moment. It was a soft, sweet one, filled with an emotion that made little butterflies come to life and flutter around in my stomach. When we broke apart for air, Lian framed my face in his hands again, just like a few hours ago.

"I love you" he said softly, gazing at me with warm, silver eyes.

I broke our eye contact, but smiled slightly and placed a hand against his warm cheek. It took me a moment to gather some courage, but he waited patiently. A few second later, I met his loving eyes again.

"I love you too" I murmured softly.

He rewarded me with another one of those wonderful, butterfly inducing kisses, making me realize once again how true and right my reply had been.

I pulled away first this time, pushing him back onto the bed so that I could lie with my head resting on his chest again. The sound of his heartbeat was peaceful and as he started playing with my hair, I closed my eyes, completely content.

But of course, Lian had to ruin the moment.

"How old were you?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" I murmured sleepily.

He paused for a second. "How old were you when you became a prostitute?"

I opened my eyes slowly and raised my head to stare at him in disbelief. His face was serious. I sighed, placing my head back on his lean chest.

"Way to go, mood killer" I muttered.

We both remained silent for a good twenty seconds before Lian realized that, that was all I was going to say.

"I'm serious, Bea. I want to know. I told you about my life."

"I told you about my life too" I argued back.

"Not all of it." Lian remained calm, still stroking my hair.

"Neither did you" I muttered.

"Just tell me" he said on a sigh.

I was silent for a moment, but Lian knew how to be patient.

"I was 14" I told him.

Lian said nothing, so I once again removed my head from his bare skin to gaze at his face.

"Happy now?" I asked sarcastically.

He smiled gently, brushing my hair back from my face and then proceeding to slowly trace my lips with his thumb. This, of course, made me immediately forgive him, which, deep down, annoyed me to no end.

Again, Lian waited before he asked again.

"What happened?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'd just gotten fired from my earlier job because I'd come in late. My boss at the cleaning firm wouldn't listen when I told him that it was because my mother had disappeared during the night and I'd spent the entire morning looking for her. So we'd been without food for a couple of days, and I was starting to panic a bit. I'd been everywhere, but no one wanted a skinny girl that had just turned 14."

I looked down, tracing patterns on Lian's bare chest.

"I was at a restaurant, pleading with the owner. Just as the others, he told me that he had no use for a little girl. I told him I was desperate, but he wouldn't listen. When I was about to leave, he told me he'd make me a deal. He said he'd give me a hundred bucks if I stayed for another half an hour and when he found out that I was a virgin, he threw in an extra 50 dollars. I didn't understand what he meant until he started taking my shirt off, but by then, I'd already agreed to it. And I didn't regret it. Easiest 150 dollars I've ever made."

I looked up to smirk at Lian, but my crude smile wavered when I saw the sad look on his face.

We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. I tried to keep up my joking, uncaring facade, but it was hard when Lian seemed to look right through it. He slowly raised a hand to my cheek, stroking it gently with the back of it, and breaking down my defenses.

"What was it _really_ like?" he asked softly.

I groaned, burying my face in his bare chest.

"Why are you doing this?" I whined, my voice coming out muffled.

"I want to know" he responded calmly, burying a hand in my hair.

I rolled my eyes, but realized he couldn't see it. "Trust me, you don't."

"What was it like?" he repeated.

I huffed in annoyance, raising my head from his torso.

"What do you think, Lian?" I asked. "It was horrible. I was terrified and it hurt so bad the man had to cover my mouth because my screams got too loud and he didn't want to upset his customers. I was disgusted by the whole thing." I swallowed, biting back my anger. "But it brought food onto the table, so when no one else offered me a job, it became my profession."

Lian quietly stared at me after I was done. It made me slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that" he said after a few seconds.

I chuckled. "Don't be. If I hadn't I would've been dead by now. Personally, I prefer living, though with a little less dignity than some people."

Lian pressed his lips firmly together, frowning at the same time. He obviously didn't like my other surviving technique; if things got too serious, joke about it.

"I don't need your pity" I told him, but gently traced his jaw with my fingertips to soften the harsh words.

"There's a difference between pity and compassion, love" he told me, still both sounding and looking troubled..

I smiled slightly at the endearment, remembering how I'd once hated when he said it. Now, however, it sent wonderful little tingles down my spine. How had I been able to deny him for so long?

"Well, if I'd never walked into that restaurant I wouldn't have been where I am right now. I wouldn't have met you" I sad softly, looking up from his chiseled chest to his gorgeous grey orbs.

"True" he murmured, smiling, the frown from earlier completely gone.

I tilted my head to one side, pulling my eyebrows together.

"Your eyes are a lot lighter than I've ever seen them" I told him, gazing at him in wonder. "How come?"

I watched his mouth harden and his eyes widen in slight panic at my question. My confused expression turned into a concerned frown. I opened my mouth to ask, but he pulled his face together before I managed to get a word out.

He shrugged. "I'm a vampire. My eyes along with many other things aren't the same as a human's."

I scowled. "That's a really weird explanation, _love_" I told him.

He opened his mouth to respond, but then he closed it, tilting his head to one side with a small, sneaky smile.

"My ears for example, are a lot more sensitive than yours" he told me. "And that's why I can hear your mother calling for you right now."

He grinned triumphantly and I huffed in annoyance, dragging myself off of his chest and onto the too cold floor.

"This isn't over yet" I warned, waving a finger at him.

I spun around, trying to find the clothes I'd earlier taken if in order to see my new – fatter – body. I soon found them scattered around the mirror. As I bent down to grab them, I caught a glimpse of something strange in the mirror. I dropped the shirt back onto the floor and straightened up, taking in my 5,7 ½ frame. Something was different.

My rather long hair – which had never managed to decide which color it wanted to be; it was a hopeless mix of red, light brown and dark blond – and my green eyes were the same, so my gaze travelled down my face until it landed on my neck.

Two small, red dots adorned my slightly tanned skin. They somehow didn't shock me; I remembered Lian nipping at my neck and it was only natural to find some kind of evidence of it. But as my gaze continued down to rest right between my breasts – at my heart – I drew in a startled gasp.

Right there was a bite mark – a real one, not just two innocent dots. I could clearly see the imprint of _all _of Lian's teeth, the too long canines sticking out against the other, human looking teeth marks. The bite was deep and looked very painful, and yet I couldn't remember anything but pleasure.

What exactly had the bloodsucker done to me?

I opened my mouth to hiss angrily. "_Lian_!"

* * *

**Lian can never catch a break, can he?**

**Well, here you go. A new chapter. **

**Sorry for the long wait. I'm working full time ATM to earn some extra cash, and after almost 9 hours of getting thrown off, stomped on and pushed by horses, you're pretty much dead (after taking a break from the little monsters for a year, you kinda forget what it's like to pretty much live among them).**

**But I've got plenty of inspiration right now, so hopefully the next chappie will be up in no time at all.**

**It would be awesome if I could reach 350 reviews until next time! :D**


	19. Hurt Myself Again Today

**ANSWER TO CamilleMay23: In TBS Sloan's story and background will be explained, way better and more detailed than in SiM. But I'm not going to write a seperate story about his earlier life :)**

* * *

**Hurt myself again today**

_(Sia)_

"Bea, before you go crazy, just take a deep breath" Lian tried.

I whipped around to give him an angry, poisonous glare.

"I'm not some pregnant woman in labor" I hissed, turning back to the mirror to gaze at the bite mark with a look of horror on my face.

"Now, tell me what this is" I demanded.

"It's a mark-" Lian started.

"I can see that" I snarled, interrupting him.

Lian sighed, remaining calm.

"It's a mark" Lian started again when I'd calmed down somewhat "that shows that you belong to me."

If possible, my face looked even more horrified.

"That I _what_?" I squeaked, loosing my voice for a moment.

Lian slowly stood, walking over to me. I remained still, staring at my own reflection and the bite mark in utter terror. Slowly, the vampire stopped to stand behind me, carefully placing his hands on my shoulders. His touch was calming, but it didn't erase any of my fury.

"This is why I wanted to wait" Lian explained. My eyes shifted from the mark to glance at his face in the mirror. He looked tired and old – way too old to be 21. To my own disappointment, it made me soften a bit.

"I knew you weren't ready for this" he continued in a soft voice. "I knew you'd freak out, especially after how you reacted last time I bit you. You refused to eat for days." His voice turned sad at the end.

"Then why did you do it?" I asked, my voice too soft for my liking.

Lian sighed, burying a hand in his hair.

"I couldn't help myself. It's instinct" he answered.

"So exactly how many girls do you _own_, Lian, since you obviously feel the urge to claim every girl you sleep with? Twenty? A hundred? _Thousands_?"

Despite my attempts at trying to keep cool, I could feel jealousy wrap it's black, satin limbs around me. It's embrace made my blood boil and my face burn with anger.

Lian gently spun me around, wrapping strong fingers around my upper arms to keep me in place when I wanted to escape. He shook me lightly.

"Silly, woman" he told me. "You are _the one_. The love of my life. My soul mate. The missing piece of my heart, whatever you want to call it. I've wanted to mark you since the moment I first saw you, but I've had just enough control to restrain myself."

I rolled my eyes at his words. They belonged in a cheesy, badly written romance novel, not in my life.

Lian gently stroked my cheek and continued anyway. "You made me loose control and I wasn't able to hold myself back. I couldn't help it, Bea. Please try to understand."

All of a sudden, my anger had been drained. I was disgusted with myself for forgiving him so easily. I shook my head, deciding not to let him get away with it.

"You make it sound like you're some savage beast, unable to control yourself. You're not. You should be fully capable of holding yourself back."

My vampire sighed. "I know it might seem that way to you, love. I know I might seem human and fully in control. And I honestly wouldn't like for you to go around thinking I'm not. But truth is, I'm a vampire. No matter how hard I try, I cannot always pretend to be something else and I cannot always hold my true self back. Instinct pretty much rules us when we let our mortal facades go and that's what you made me do a few hours ago. I let everything go and I lost control. And I'm sorry for it."

I couldn't doubt the sincerity in his silver eyes and even though it bugged me to no end, I forgave him. Not that I had much of a choice. It was either that or hate him for all eternity and the latter didn't seem like as much fun. The memory of us together seemed imprinted into my dirty, little mind and I knew that I definitely wasn't ready to give Lian up just yet. Or ever.

"Fine" I grumbled, breaking his hold and spinning back around to look in the mirror. I raised a hand to slowly trail my fingers over his bite mark, trying to get used to it. I was guessing it wouldn't disappear anytime soon, most likely never.

Lian wrapped his arms around my middle, placing a quick kiss on my bare shoulder before resting his chin there.

"It's really hard to stay angry at you, you know" I sighed. His breath tickled my collarbone as he chuckled. "I just don't get why you leeches have to be so domineering. You're like cave men. Having to _bite_ a woman just so you can make sure she's yours. So immature" I muttered.

"Well, it's about a lot more than that, love" Lian told me, chuckling again. "Instinct guides us because it helps us survive. And our chances of survival increases dramatically if our soul mates' lives aren't endangered every few seconds."

I frowned. "What has that got to do with anything?"

Lian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You don't know what else me marking you means?"

"Of course I don't. I used to me a poor hooker living in a secluded small town, remember?"

"But still, you-" Lian stopped talking when he saw my murderous glare. I didn't like him pointing out how misinformed I was. Or rather, uninformed.

"My mark protects you from others of my kind. The instinct within vampires prevents them from hurting claimed people. When they smell a mark they immediately leaves that person alone."

I was silent for a moment.

"Buuuut?" I asked then, knowing there had to be a but. It couldn't be that simple.

He chuckled lightly. "_But_, as I just told you, our instinct only takes over when we're not able keep ourselves in check. I've fought extremely hard to gain my control and fight back my more animalistic side. Most vampires prefer to acknowledge the instinct and since it reacts very strongly whenever claimed mates are around, they would never dream of hurting one. A savage or unusually blood thirsty vampire is completely ruled by their instinct and is never a threat either. _However_, the older, more controlled vampires are able to shut off their instincts when they're in control and therefore they have no problem injuring or killing marked mates. Honestly, though, it's a good thing they have the ability to kill. Otherwise claiming wouldn't be seen as an act of love – or in other cases, possession – anymore, it would be seen as the only way to become truly immortal. If bearing a mark ensured that no other vampire could ever harm you, not only would the meaning of claiming cease to exist, people of my kind would also be able to be terribly ruthless and barbaric without anyone being able to stop them."

I tilted my head to one side, watching my reflection as my fingers still absentmindedly danced over the spot over my heart. I took Lian's words in, deciding that the stupid bite mark probably wasn't too bad.

"So, Sloan and Marco won't ever hurt me?" I asked after a minute.

"Unless it's in self defense, Sloan won't ever lay his hands on you again" Lian vowed, his eyes getting a little darker.

I stiffened. "What about Marco?"

"He would never injure you" Lian told me.

"But he _could_?" I asked, understanding the underlying meaning in his words.

"Why do you think so ill of him?" he asked.

"He's a mute, intimidating, narcissistic beast" I said.

"You can't hate him just because he doesn't offer you the story of his life on a silver plate" Lian said, smiling.

"He's still awfully scary. And I'm definitely not the only one who thinks that" I defended myself.

"Well, then perhaps people should learn not to judge the book by it's cover. He's a good man." There was a finality in Lian's voice.

"Whatever you say" I muttered. "The day I met a human who isn't terrified by that blood sucker, I'll gladly kiss his or her feet."

Lian grinned. "It's a deal."

"I'll believe it when I see it" I said, rolling my eyes and turning away from the mirror.

"You will, sooner than you think" Lian told me, still grinning. "I'll make you an offer. I'll forget about the deal if you give me a kiss instead."

I shook my head, but wrapped my arms around his neck anyway, standing on my tiptoes to let my mouth meet his. It was another one of those sweet, toe curling kisses that I never wanted to end.

I broke away first, deciding that I had to punish him in some way for the whole claiming thing.

"You know, you're starting to sound like Sloan, having to demand kisses" I told him, pecking him on the lips again.

"Urgh, don't ever compare me to him" Lian growled, leaning down to kiss me again.

I pulled away from him with a smirk, not letting him catch my mouth.

"Then stop acting like him" I told the vampire, turning around to pick my clothes up off the floor.

Lian scowled, but there was real amusement in his eyes. I pulled my shirt over my head with the smirk still intact on my lips.

"_Shit!_"

I glanced up to find Lian staring with a real scowl at his watch.

"What's wrong?" I asked, pulling my jeans on.

"My flight leaves in an hour."

"Your _what_?" I exclaimed.

Lian glanced up at me. "My flight. Sloan and I have to leave for a conference in Berlin."

"You could've _told _me you were going, you know" I told him, waving my hands.

"You kind of distracted me earlier today" Lian said, smiling.

I rolled my eyes as Lian stepped forward to place his hands on my hips. All of my irritation seemed to melt away as I met his soft, grey eyes. Why did he have to be so irresistible?

"Would you like to come too?" he asked me.

I stared at him, wide eyed. I'd never gone any further than an hour or two from my village, let alone left the country and the freaking continent. And an airplane! The last time I saw one was on a photograph in second grade, before I quit school to take care of my mother. The few planes the vampires had decided not to destroy were reserved for the richer ones of their kind.

Lian shook me lightly. "Bea?"

"Oh, right." I returned to reality and then frowned. "I can't, I have to take care of my mother."

"She can come too." Lian smiled.

I shook my head. "She's too fragile. She'd be terrified."

"I think you're underestimating her" he told me gently.

"Trust me, I'm not." I chuckled darkly.

Lian placed a butterfly kiss on my nose and then stepped back.

"Then could you please just go down and tell Sloan to hurry up while I'm getting ready? I'm guessing he forgot about it too. Please?" He put on his puppy dog face.

"Fine" I said, turning to leave.

I skipped down the stairs, a little miffed that Lian would be leaving again so soon, especially since I'd slept during the majority of our day together.

I stopped in front of Sloan's door only to freeze and look down at my injured leg. Or the leg that _used_ to be injured. The cast was gone and it felt perfectly fine. I stared at it in wonder for several seconds. And then I shrugged, deciding that I'd had to ask Lian about it later. I was guessing he hadn't told me even close to everything about claiming.

I knocked on Sloan's door, but retrieved no response. I sighed, placing my hand on the knob and pushing the door open. I didn't have time for his stupid games.

I stood frozen in shock in the doorway. The sight that met me was definitely not what I had been expecting.

Sloan was on the bed, shirtless, with a girl underneath him. If my eyes hadn't immediately been drawn to her terrified,_ human_ face, I probably would've closed the door again, assuming that Sloan had found a slutty vampire somewhere. Her eyes were wide in horror, her mouth covered by one of the vampire's hands that muffled the soft whines and whimpers that she was making. She had been stripped down to her underwear and looked too pale to be healthy. As my eyes moved I caught the bite mark on her neck, the blood trickling down her alabaster skin. Sloan's face was buried against her other shoulder, most likely drinking from that side of her neck too.

"What the _fuck_?" I exclaimed.

Sloan's head swiftly whipped around. His fangs were bared and there was blood dripping down them onto his chin. His eyes were a startling crimson and glared at me with a fury that raised goose bumps all over my body.

"Get out!" he growled furiously.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screeched, stepping closer. The girl's wide eyes were pleading with me.

"Get the fuck out!" Sloan boomed.

"Let her go!" I pointed at the girl, still stepping closer.

His hand was pressing down harder on her face and she was starting to look like she was about to choke.

"Are you deaf? _Leave_!" Sloan yelled.

The girl's face was turning purple.

I threw myself at him, intending to get his hand of the dying girl's face. He reacted immediately, probably instinctively, throwing an arm out to block me. He struck me right in the stomach and the blow threw me back into the wall at the door. My head collided with the stone, making a creepy cracking sound and I cried out in pain. Black spots clouded my vision as I slid down the wall into a heap on the floor. Through my partly obscured vision I watched Sloan get off the girl and the bed, stalking towards me. He suddenly froze a foot away from me, seeming to sniff the air.

All of a sudden, Sloan was crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room, even creating a large dent in the stone. I forced my heavy eyelids to stay up, watching as Lian suddenly materialized in front of Sloan, holding him by his throat.

"Don't you dare touch her!" he hissed in that dangerous voice he only pulled out when he was really pissed.

Sloan gazed at him in shock for a short moment before he threw his big arms up, forcing Lian's hand away from his neck. And then it was all just a big mess of two blurry bodies moving around, sometimes on the floor, and sometimes on their feet, constantly growling, hissing and snapping their teeth. My sight was getting better and an ache in my head was all that was left from my collision with the wall. I tried sitting up, and briefly noticed that the girl on the bed was trying to do the same. I glanced over at the two fighting males again, only to find that Lian was on the floor, bloody and battered with Sloan on top off him, keeping him down.

"No!" I cried out hoarsely as Sloan leaned down with his mouth wide open, his fangs glistening with blood. I struggled to crawl over to the two of them, but found that my body wouldn't move. Tears started streaming down my cheeks as I watched Sloan's triumphant grin.

And then the brown haired vampire was once again sent flying into the wall, only this time a lot harder. The force of his body colliding with the stone seemed to make the walls of the room tremble. A furious, deep growl rang through the room and when I caught back of the tall frame and the dark tousled hair, I slumped back in relief. I'd never been so happy to see the intimidating vampire in my entire life.

I watched Sloan shaking his head, obviously trying to remain conscious. Marco stood frozen a few feet away from him, his hands clenched.

"Get out of here" he hissed at Sloan.

"You don't get to kick me out of my own fucking room!" Sloan growled, throwing himself at the taller vampire.

If I thought Sloan and Lian had been moving fast before, then this was just completely impossible to look at without going dizzy. I removed my eyes from the two vampires, trying to stay conscious, and noticed that Lian was making his way over to me. He was limping and there was blood all over him, most of it probably his. I shuddered at the sight of him, afraid that he was going to topple over and die right in front of me.

He sank to the floor right next to me, breathing harshly.

"Are you okay?" he asked me quietly, his voice barely audible over the sounds of growls and hisses.

"Are you kidding me? You're the one who's hurt, stupid" I said.

Lian smiled softly, wiping away the tears from my cheeks.

"You're crying" he murmured.

"No, I'm not" I told him childishly.

His smile widened and he opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by Marco's cool voice.

"Get. Out."

Sloan lay sprawled on the floor, covered in bite marks and blood, looking utterly helpless. Marco stood over him. His shirt was torn and splayed with blood, but other than that there wasn't a scratch on him.

It was kind of scary how I'd forgotten all about the two fighting vampires when Lian sat injured next to me.

"I'm not-" Sloan started stubbornly.

"_OUT!_"

Marco's cool facade dropped and he looked absolutely furious. Sloan scrambled to his feet, and with a last, furious glare, he walked towards the door. He stopped in the doorway, glancing over at me and Lian with the promise of retribution written all over his face, before he disappeared into the hallway.

A heavy silence followed.

It was broken when the girl on the bed suddenly started sobbing, hiding her face in her hands. I moved to stand, wanting to comfort her, but Lian pushed me back down.

"You hit your head, you need to take it easy" he told me.

I scowled at him. "About _that_. Didn't you tell me, and I quote 'Sloan won't ever lay his hands on you again'?"

Lian's face turned furious. "Did he hit you?"

"No, he kinda just pushed me away when I attacked him" I told him, still frowning.

"Remember what I told you about self defense?" Lian asked me, as if talking to a toddler.

"Oh" I responded stupidly.

"Did you pass out when you hit your head?" he wondered, tracing my skull with gentle fingers.

"Nope, I never lost consciousness."

"Don't touch me!"

I looked up at the cry to find the girl on the bed desperately trying to scramble away from Marco, who was seated on the edge.

"I need to stop the bleeding" he told her in that emotionless voice of his.

"Get away from me!" the girl sobbed, pulling up a comforter to hide behind.

I sighed as I watched her frightened face.

"As I said, I'll gladly kiss that person's feet" I muttered to Lian, trying to get up again.

Once again, Lian held me back. "Just give him a chance" he murmured.

I heard Marco sigh deeply.

"Do you wish to die" he asked her, his voice still cold.

I rolled my eyes. Way to go, smooth talker.

To my huge surprise the girl peeked out from behind the comforter.

"No" she squeaked.

"Then let me stop the bleeding" Marco said calmly. He stretched a hand out towards her, silently asking her to hand him the thick blanket. And she did, though very cautiously. Slowly, she slid back to where she sat before she began retreating. Marco gazed at her wounds for a second before he swiftly got up, seeming to vanish into thin air before suddenly appearing right at the bed again. He now held a first aid kit in his hands.

I sat with my back against Lian's chest, watching in fascination as the dark haired vampire gently cleaned her wounds and wrapped them up in white gauze.

The girl had started to relax, watching Marco with something else than fear in her eyes. Wonder, and perhaps interest? I smiled slightly, feeling my inner matchmaker flare with interest.

"Perhaps there is hope for him after all" I whispered to Lian.

Marco whipped his head around to glare at me as he stood, clearly done with playing doctor.

"Perhaps there is" Lian stage whispered back, grinning at his brother.

I watched as the girl on the bed pulled the covers up over her, obviously wanting to escape reality for a few hours. Marco threw a swift glance at her still form before leaving the room.

In one, smooth move Lian suddenly got up. I looked up at him in surprise, only to find that his body seemed to have completely healed. Now why couldn't my body do that?

I was suddenly swept up into his arms, pressed tightly against his chest.

"Hey!" I reprimanded him. "I can walk."

"You're hurt" he told me strictly. "You're going to sleep now."

"No, I'm not" I told him angrily.

"Yes, you are" Lian growled back. "I'll make sure you do."

I laughed mockingly. "What, you're gonna force me to sleep?"

My vampire scowled at me. "That's exact-"

He was cut off by Marco, who reappeared in the room.

"I called Gregory, he'll be here tomorrow morning" he told us – or rather, Lian.

"Good. Tell him I said hi."

Marco nodded. "I rescheduled your flight, it leaves in three hours."

"Thank" Lian said, smiling gratefully before turning with me in his arms to leave the room.

"You're still going away?" I asked.

"Yes, and you're coming with me" he told me.

"No, I'm not. I have to stay with my mother" I responded, frustrated. Didn't he listen?

"She'll survive without you for a day or two."

"No, she won't. You're not going to talk me out of this one." There was a calm finality in my voice.

"Fine" he grumbled. "But you're going to sleep now."

We had reached his bedroom and Lian kicked the door open.

"Again, you can't force someone to sleep. I'm absolutely fine." He was starting to annoy me.

Lian gently placed me on the bed, seating himself on the edge. He smiled a condescending smile at me and I scowled back. Softly, he trailed his fingers over me cheek, down to my neck. His hand remained there as he opened his mouth and spoke one word.

"Sleep."

And then everything went black.

* * *

**Sorry, again, for the bad updating and the sloppy writing (yeah, I didn't really have time to check the chapter, I just wanted to post it). But I promise to make it up to you! I've now got five weeks of freedom before senior year starts, and I'm gonna try to write as much as I possibly can during these weeks.**

**I do need a lot of feedback though, so I'd really appreciate if you all reviewed. Tell me what you like and what you don't (No complaining about my English, though. I'm Swedish, so I can't really help if it's not perfect, sorry). **

**270 reviews till next time would be awesome! :D**


	20. Why So Serious?

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE PEOPLE!**

**Okay, semi-important...**

**1. I know I might be a bit spoiled after SiM, but I really would like to hear more about what you think of the story; in other words, I'd love some more reviews. Sooo, I'm gonna try something. If I reach 400 reviews within the next week, you'll get _two_ chapters on Sunday (Swedish time). If not, well, then you're just going to have to live with one chapter. **

**And I'm going to try weekly updates again, at least until school starts again.**

**2. Someone asked if I've got a story for Sloan, and I actually do, but I wasn't too sure about getting it up here, mostly because you know how his life ends. In other words, it ain't a story with a happy ending, since it starts _after _Marco forces him to leave the mansion.**

**But since you asked about it, anybody interested?**

**3. I know TBS is a bit slower and a bit more boring than SiM, but there _will_ be some action soon. However, this story was mostly written to, well, firstly tell Lian and Bea's story, but also to fill out the gaps in SiM. You'll see soon enough, but there will be quite a few new characters and you'll get to hear Marco's and Sloan's entire stories. Just thought you should know.**

**Now, enjoy the chapter! ^^ If you managed to read the entire Author's Note without falling asleep, I'm extremely impressed.**

* * *

**Why so serious?**

_(Pink)_

I woke up to find that someone was violently banging my head against the headboard. I groaned out loud, hoping the idiot would realize that it freaking hurt. The pounding continued.

I forced my uncooperative eyes open only to find that I was all alone in Lian's bedroom. No one was trying to crack my skull, but the horrible ache was still there. I slowly moved a weak hand and placed it against my sore temple.

"Ouch" I whispered.

I was having one hell of a headache. Sloan sure as hell knew how to throw punches.

The memories from his room suddenly came back and I fought to slowly sit up. The poor girl probably needed my help; I strongly doubted that Marco would be able to take care of her for any length of time without: a) scaring her to death or b) annoying her to death. I looked around the room for a moment, confused. How the hell had I ended up sleeping in Lian's bed?

And then I remembered. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to growl out loud. I was going to throttle that vampire.

I found a pill and a glass of water on the bedside table and eagerly chugged it down. Half an hour later I was, if not perfectly fine, then at least a whole lot better than before. There was only a dull ache left in my head and I found that I had no problem either standing or walking as I made my way down the stairs to the dining room. I hoped that the wonderful smell of waffles would lead me to a full breakfast table with people surrounding it.

I smiled as I found the girl, Marco and my mother seated around the delicious food, all looking relatively calm and relaxed. The dark haired vampire sat at the head of the table with the new girl on his right and my mother on his left. I immediately took the empty seat next to the latter.

"Good morning" I said.

I didn't wait for a response. Instead I helped myself to the wonderful food, taking a moment to regard the girl opposite of me. She wasn't too young, probably just a couple of years younger than me, with chestnut hair and wide, greyish blue eyes. Naturally, she was very pretty.

She watched me for a swift moment before returning her eyes to the food, staring blankly at it with a depressed look on her face. She didn't eat, only kept poking the waffle with a fork.

"You know, the food is great here. You really should try it" I told her, my mouth filled with food. Some fell out when I spoke and Marco gave me a disgusted look. I scowled at him before turning back to the girl.

She stared at me with those wide, frightened eyes, not speaking a word.

I didn't understand how she could find _me_ of all people scary; perhaps she was just horrified by my manners. I swallowed swiftly before speaking again.

"What's your name?" I asked her, smiling slightly.

"Alyana" she told me quietly, her eyes dropping to her plate again.

I sighed quietly, feeling a bit helpless.

"You look just like a girl who used to a few houses away from us, do you remember Bea? Annie O'Connor, I think" my mother suddenly said. The girl looked up shyly, gazing curiously at my mother.

"She was the prettiest girl in town, always smiling and laughing" she continued. She turned to me at the end, patting my knee. "No offense" she told me.

"None taken" I said, rolling my eyes before shoving more waffles into my mouth.

"It's a shame I didn't get to watch her grow up. She probably would've looked an awful lot like you" she said, turning back to the girl.

"What happened to her?" Alyana asked quietly.

"Oh, her father and older brother worked for some strange company. The LM I believe it was called. They moved away a few years ago."

I froze with the fork to my mouth, turning slowly to look at Marco. He sat frozen, his hands clutching the paper he was reading a bit too tightly. His eyes had stopped moving over the words.

"I think you got the name of the company wrong, mother" I tried, keeping my voice calm.

"Oh, no, I'm absolutely sure. It was called the LM" she said, grabbing her fork and knife to slice up the waffle on her plate.

I looked up to find Alyana looking at my mother with fascination and curiosity. At least she didn't look terrified anymore.

I heard a low growl and whipped my head around to glare furiously at Marco. He was frowning at my mother, slowly placing the paper on the table and leaning forward in her direction

"Don't even think about it." It took me a moment to realize that the dangerous, angrily hissed words came from me.

My mother looked up, for once noticing that something was wrong. She seemed to freeze as she met Marco's dark eyes, staring intensely into hers.

"Do you know Pete O'Connor?" he asked her slowly.

My mother sat perfectly still, locked in the vampire's gaze.

"Cut it out, you leech" I hissed, pushing my chair out to place myself between the blood sucker and my mother. It turned out to be unnecessary.

Before I even managed to stand, my mother broke away from his eyes with a soft smile on her lips. She patted Marco's hand.

"Honey, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were threatening me. It's a good thing I'm a clever woman" she said, returning to her food.

I didn't sit down again until Marco pulled back from my mother, leaning back against his chair with his arms folded, watching her intently. I gave him an angry glare.

"So, how did you two meet?" she asked, glancing between Alyana and Marco.

"Eh, ma'am, we're not, errr..." The girl didn't finish the sentence, instead she threw a quick glance at the vampire's cold face.

"Oh, thank God" my mother said, chuckling lightly and placing a hand over her heart.

For a moment I thought I saw something similar to hurt flash across Marco's face. It was gone as swiftly as it appeared and I wasn't sure if my eyes were just playing tricks on me.

For some reason, my mother also seemed to notice it.

"Oh, darling, don't take it the wrong way" she said, once again placing her hand over Marco's. He furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"It's just that your souls would clash. Your not her one and she's not your" she continued, as if it explained everything.

"Excuse me?" Marco's voice was for once more shocked than emotionless.

"I think you need to learn how to listen, young man." My mother smiled kindly at the vampire.

He gazed back with a baffled look on his face.

"How do you know when your souls fit together?" We all looked up as the quietly spoken question, everyone staring at Alyana. She blushed, but didn't look away.

"Oh, it's different for everyone" my mother explained, gently smiling at the girl. "Some will know as soon as they see the person." I immediately thought of Lian. "And some won't understand until later."

Alyana nodded, placing a hand under her chin to watch my mother with a burning interest on her face. She was a hopeless romantic, no doubt.

"This one, for example" she patted Marco's hand for the third time "won't know what he's got until he's forced to realize it."

He rolled his eyes, picking up his paper again. _Definitely_ not a hopeless romantic.

"_You_ on the other hand" she continued, smiling at the girl "will know immediately." I watched as the pretty girl threw a swift glance in Marco's direction.

"But you might be so hopeful that you won't see the false ones for what they really are until you meet your true one" she continued.

"Very cryptic, mother" I murmured.

She didn't respond. Instead she gazed at her empty tea cup with a horrified expression on her face.

"I forgot my tea" she whispered.

I froze, knowing that hell was most likely about to break loose.

"I forgot my tea" she repeated, her voice louder with a panicky edge to it.

"Calm down, mother, we'll get you your tea" I told her reassuringly, getting up swiftly to grab the cup.

"It's too late" she told me, gazing up at me with grief in her eyes. I knew she was talking about something else than tea. She turned her head down, staring blankly at her empty plate. "It's too late" she repeated, whispering in a broken voice.

"I'll fix it, mother" I told her, feeling hysteria wrap itself around me. I didn't think I could handle another one of her meltdowns; I could feel one building up. It had been months since she'd had one; I'd always been extremely careful when it came to her tea.

Before I sprinted off, I saw Marco gently place a finger under her chin, making my mother lift her head and look him in the eye. I watched his pupils dilate and knew he was hypnotizing her. And yet, I did nothing to stop it.

"It's okay, Mrs Thartsen" was the only thing he whispered.

He released her a second later and my mother sat back with a sigh, only throwing a swift glance at the empty cup in my hands.

"I think I want to take a nap" she said evenly. I remained standing as she got up and left the room, smiling slightly and humming an old lullaby to herself.

I half-fell into the chair once she was out the room, dropping the cup and burying my face in my hands, pulling at my hair and groaning quietly.

"Why did she do that?" Alyana asked in her hushed voice.

I peeked at her through my fingers for a moment before I spoke.

"My father was killed when they were having their evening tea. She thinks he died because she served the tea half an hour later than usual. Since then she's been obsessed with drinking hers at precisely eight o'clock every morning and night."

"Oh" she answered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be" I mumbled.

Suddenly, Marco stood and turned to Alyana. She gazed up at him with a slightly dazed expression on her face. It was obvious that she was intimidated, but also attracted by the tall vampire.

"We'll be leaving in half an hour. Be ready then" he told her before swiftly stalking out the room.

"What was that all about?" I asked Alyana.

"He's returning me Miss Samson's. It's awfully nice of him" she answered silently.

"Do you like him?" I asked, grinning and leaning forward to catch her flickering gaze.

Her eyes were wide as they met mine. "What do you mean?" she squeaked.

My grin widened. "Do you like Marco?"

Her cheeks turned tomato red. "Of course I don't. He's a Withlock, I can't like him."

I laughed. "Of course you can."

She shook her head fiercely. "He's scary. They all are."

I sighed. "He sure is, the stupid ass."

The girl gave me a confused look and I stood, preparing to leave.

"Are you joining us?" she asked me.

"No, I think I'll just leave you to love birds alone" I said, winking.

"Please, come" Alyana begged quietly. "I don't want to be left alone with the vampire."

I could see the true fear in her eyes and I sighed. I didn't even want to think about spending hours alone with Marco in a bumpy carriage with nowhere to run. But then I shrugged; I didn't think my day was going to get any worse anyway.

I was wrong.

* * *

Ten seconds after I'd first met Miss Samson, I'd already decided that she was an awful woman. She was a short, chubby thing with rat colored hair and the worst, fake sweet voice I'd ever heard. I could tell that Marco felt the same way.

Alyana stood quietly next to the middle aged woman as she sucked up to the vampire, asking a thousand questions about why the girl hadn't been good enough.

When Marco, for the umpteenth time answered that Sloan just simply didn't have time for a pet – this time growling the words out – the awful woman finally seemed to get the message. I felt sorry for Alyana, whose cheeks were getting redder and redder as Miss Samson's questions grew more and more insulting. Thankfully, the woman seemed to have finally given up.

"Well then, Alyana, go to your room. We will talk later" she told the girl.

Alyana finally looked up from the floor and met my gaze.

"Bye" she said, waving a hand. She threw a swift, shy glance in Marco's direction. "Thank you, sir Withlock" she managed to get out.

Marco just nodded in response and she quickly turned and left.

"Ah, isn't she adorable?" Miss Samson asked, clasping her hands together.

"Very" Marco said, his voice ice cold. It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or honest, or if he was simply trying to get the damn woman to shut up.

"And what about you, sir Withlock?" she asked. "Any of my girls must be better than" she threw a disgusted look in my direction "_that_."

"Hey!" I exclaimed angrily.

"I don't doubt that" Marco told her, and I turned to glare furiously at him. He didn't look at me, only smirked slightly.

Miss Samson looked as if she was about to burst from excitement. "Well, then, we must find you a girl! Why don't you keep Alyana?"

"Oh, trust me, that girl is _waaay _to good for him" I said angrily.

The woman threw a swift glance in my direction, and I realized that she misinterpreted my response.

"Well, she's the only clean girl we've got here at the moment, and I doubt sir Withlock will want anything else, right?"

There was a slightly horrified look in Marco's eyes. "I-" he started, but was immediately cut off.

"Oh, but there _is_ another girl. Only she's not really like the, er, others. She's a very unique girl with quite a bit of personality, but I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle" she told Marco reassuringly.

He opened his mouth to respond, but once again he never got the chance to speak. All of a sudden the small water sprinklers – meant to be triggered by a fire – started and completely soaked us in just a matter of seconds at the same time as an awful, loud beeping sound started.

"_And_" Miss Samson chuckled awkwardly, with a dark look in her eyes "the girl's got a very odd sense of humor."

There were screams and cries coming from the rooms surrounding us and soon enough all of the doors flew open and girls came streaming out, everyone running in the same direction - probably towards the exit.

"Calm down girls, it's just a fire drill" Miss Samson called out in a fake happy voice.

I glanced up at Marco to find that he was clenching his teeth hard, looking just about ready to murder someone. I felt like laughing; and here I thought my day wasn't going to get any worse. I wondered we didn't just leave, but decided not to ask; I didn't want to end up being the one he was so ready to kill.

The girls – most teenagers, but some even younger – around us all threw glances in our direction. Some where just curious, other angry and quite a few were filled with awe as they wandered over Marco's tall frame.

Miss Samson, who was trying to usher the girls in the right direction, suddenly grabbed a hold of the hoodie of a passing girl. She was a tall brunette, probably in her late teens. Compared to me, she could definitely be considered pretty, but I noticed that she didn't look quite as flawless and doll like as the rest of the girls.

"Where is she?" the woman hissed.

The girl shrugged and tried pulling herself out of Miss Samson's fierce grip. "I don't know."

"Yes. You. Do" the older woman spat.

When the girl stubbornly shook her head, Miss Samson raised a hand and slapped her. Hard.

I stood absolutely frozen, watching in horror, forgetting that I was supposed to do something.

The girl stared at the middle aged, chubby woman with venom in her eyes. If looks could kill, Miss Samson's heart would not only have ceased beating; it would've caught fire and burnt to ashes.

"I told you, I don't _know_" the girl growled back, tearing herself out of the older woman's grasp and following the thinning stream out.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Marco watching the whole thing with a scowl on his face.

Miss Samson turned back to us with a sweet, ugly smile on her face.

"Shall we move over to my office and get the papers signed before we drown?" she asked.

Marco gave her a quick nod.

Signing papers turned out to take a lot longer than I'd first thought. Ten minutes later, and Marco still wasn't done.

Miss Samson's office had a glass wall that showed the entire hall outside. I gazed out at it, watching the water trickle down the walls and onto the soaked floor. At least they'd finally managed to turn the sprinklers off.

As I peeked out into the wet mess, hearing Marco's and Miss Samson's mumbles behind me, my eyes suddenly caught something. Two figures were running towards me, sliding and stumbling slightly on the slippery floor. It was the tall brunette from the floor, but next to her ran a slightly shorter, black haired girl in her mid-teens. From what I could see, she was the epitome of what the vampire's looked for in a pet. Curves in all the right places, cream colored skin and a doll like face with wide, blue eyes and plump lips.

"Oh, shit." I watched her mouth form the words as she froze in the hallway, the taller girl stopping next to her. They were both looking at something behind me.

I swiftly whipped around. Marco was signing another paper just as Miss Samson looked up from it, her eyes widening as she caught the frozen girls in the hallway. Her face turned absolutely furious in less than a second, her skin turning a bright red. She looked like a dragon about to spit fire.

"_AURELIA!_" she yelled, obviously unable to help herself.

I turned back to watch the hallway. The girls both spun on their heels, both slipping slightly. The black haired one lost her balance and her arms flayed comically in the air for a moment before she regained it, sprinting off to follow her taller friend. I had to press my lips together not to laugh, especially when Miss Samson flew out the door, taking off with her chubby, little body desperately trying to catch up with the two younger girls. As the door swung open, I could hear their laughter.

When I spun around, Marco was still focused on the papers, completely ignoring the tumult. For a moment I desperately wished he would drop his cold facade and at least show some kind of emotion. He was missing out on a lot of fun.

I opened my eyes to tell him just that, when he suddenly straightened up, disappearing out the door without a word. I rolled my eyes at his rude behavior, following him out. I was happy Alyana never got the chance to stay and get to know him better; he would only have left her disappointed.

Naturally, we spent the ride home in silence, expect for when I remembered the black haired girl's flaying arms and chuckled quietly to myself. Marco gave me a look that told me he thought I was crazy and I prayed to God that he one day would cross paths with the girl and be forced to laugh at her.

* * *

**Aurelia's back! :) What did you think? **


	21. Author's Note 3

**Dear awesome readers!**

**Yes, I know you're tired of these ANs. **

**Anyway, I'm going to take a break from TBS and I'm honestly not sure of if I'll post any more chapters for this story - and if I do, it won'****t be for a while. I'm sorry.**

**I feel like something went a little wrong while I wrote the last chapters and it just doesn't feel like my writing anymore. It really sucks.**

**Also, life is kinda being a bitch atm and I just don't feel like writing, especially not from such an optimistic character's point of view. If I continue, Bea might end up killing a few people and that just doesn't feel like something she'd do...**

**So, thank you, thank you, thank you for those of you who read, reviewed and actually liked this story. Can't thank you enough, it means a lot to me!**

**Until next time (hopefully)!**

_**/Mandydoll**_


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